Light & Wonder Pulls “Jewel of the Dragon” Amid Legal Heat
Light & Wonder yanked its “Jewel of the Dragon” slot game from the market, aiming to dodge confusion and headaches for customers. The voluntary pull comes after Aristocrat Technologies Inc. slapped the firm with a trade secret theft claim in a March 14 filing at Nevada’s U.S. District Court.
Aristocrat’s Trade Secret Claims Prompt Move
The company’s offering swaps for the game, hoping to smooth over a messy legal spat tied to its “hold and spin” titles. Aristocrat’s beef zeroes in on “Jewel of the Dragon,” alleging it rips off their “Autumn Moon” game.
Light & Wonder admitted some of its developers had peeked at Aristocrat’s 2015 PAR sheets; docs detailing payout setups and game mechanics, before building it.
That access, while not rare in the industry, fueled the lawsuit’s fire. To sidestep more trouble, Light & Wonder axed the game’s sales and expanded a review of all pre-2021 “hold and spin” titles, expecting no further hiccups.
Wider Fallout
This isn’t the firm’s first retreat. “Dragon Train,” another slot, got shelved earlier in U.S. and Australian markets after a court order, and Aristocrat’s latest complaint drags in replacements like “Dragon Train Grand Central,” claiming they still cash in on stolen secrets.
Light & Wonder is pushing back hard, calling these new gripes baseless since no direct trade secrets linger in the updated games. Still, they’re not taking chances, another unnamed title’s development got iced after internal checks flagged potential Aristocrat IP overlap.
The stakes are big. Light & Wonder’s slots, like “Jewel of the Dragon,” pull serious weight in the $2.5 billion U.S. casino gaming tech market, per 2024 industry stats. Aristocrat’s not letting up, arguing even indirect benefits from past access cross the line. Light & Wonder’s statement vowed a fierce defense while keeping clients out of the crossfire, hence the swap offer and quick cuts.
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