Light & Wonder Responds to Aristocrat’s Latest Trade Secret Claims

the U.S. District Court of Nevada.

On March 14, 2025, Aristocrat submitted a second amended complaint, introducing a trade secret misappropriation claim concerning Jewel of the Dragon. Initially, this series was not included in Aristocrat’s claims related to trade secrets. Light & Wonder has stated it intends to formally respond to this complaint by April 11, 2025.

Aristocrat Expands Claims Against Light & Wonder

In addition to the new trade secret allegation, Aristocrat has raised additional concerns that Light & Wonder plans to challenge.

One of the primary claims is that replacement titles for Dragon Train, including the social casino game Dragon Train Grand Central, would indirectly benefit from alleged trade secret misappropriation, even if none of Aristocrat’s specific trade secrets were used in these games.

Light & Wonder emphasized that Dragon Train’s success stems from multiple elements, many of which are uncontested by Aristocrat. The company has implemented a structured development approach to ensure no Aristocrat-related proprietary information is incorporated into new game designs. This includes resolving concerns related to game mathematics developed by designer Emma Charles, who previously worked for Aristocrat before ing Light & Wonder in 2021.

As part of its commitment to transparency, Light & Wonder disclosed that it had shared the mathematical framework for Dragon Train Grand Central with Aristocrat before its launch.

“Aristocrat has made no claim with respect to the Dragon Train Grand Central math, and we are confident the same will be true for our Dragon Train replacement land-based game that is in development,” the company stated.

Internal Reviews and Commercial Adjustments

Light & Wonder also addressed references in Aristocrat’s complaint to internal emails sent by Emma Charles. The company reiterated that it has been forthcoming with information provided during legal discovery.

Moreover, Light & Wonder confirmed that it will no longer commercialize Jewel of the Dragon, a series implicated in Aristocrat’s trade secret claim. Although the company is not withdrawing the game, it will allow customers to replace existing installed units to prevent confusion and potential disruptions. The company noted that Jewel of the Dragon represents less than 1% of its installed footprint in North America, with about 150 leased units.

Additionally, the company acknowledged that some of the Jewel of the Dragon development team had access to Aristocrat PAR sheets from 2015. These sheets, commonly used in the industry, contain details on slot machine performance, payout structures, and settings. While such documents often circulate among competitors, Light & Wonder announced an expansion of its internal review to encom all Hold & Spin titles released before mid-2021.

“We have no reason to believe that the expanded review covering all Hold & Spin games released before mid-2021 will identify evidence of similar issues,” the company said.

Light & Wonder further clarified that its prior internal review had examined multiple later versions of games initially launched before mid-2021. No evidence of trade secret issues was found in these versions, making it unlikely that earlier iterations would be problematic. Additionally, all these games have been on the market for at least three years, and no external claims have suggested they contain Aristocrat’s proprietary information.

In response to last year’s preliminary injunction against Dragon Train, Light & Wonder had engaged gaming expert and former game mathematician Mark Nicely to conduct an independent third-party review of its portfolio. The company stated that this audit found no evidence of trade secret violations in Hold & Spin games released since mid-2021—when Charles ed the company.

Source:

‘’Light & Wonder Provides Update on Dragon Train Litigation’’, businesswire.com, April 02, 2025.