Aristocrat Leisure and Light & Wonder have reached a settlement that closes out ongoing litigation in Australia and the United States over Light & Wonder’s Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon game titles.
Terms Linked to Product Withdrawal and Math Controls
The litigation centered on assertions that Dragon Train and later Jewel of the Dragon used proprietary Aristocrat math and copyright works. The dispute prompted orders for math model discovery and led to injunctions that restricted Dragon Train’s commercial rollout in certain markets.
The settlement terms include financial compensation and structural remedial measures tied to intellectual property protections. Light & Wonder agreed to compensate Aristocrat USD 127.5 million relating to claims of misappropriation and infringement of intellectual property. Light & Wonder also acknowledged that certain Aristocrat math information was used in developing both Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon.
Aristocrat stated that it would dismiss the pending claims in both jurisdictions as part of the resolution.
Light & Wonder agreed to permanently halt commercial activity involving Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon worldwide and will make best efforts to remove existing installations of those titles. The company also agreed to permanently destroy documents containing the identified Aristocrat math and to refrain from future use of the math or related copyright materials.
Both firms established confidential procedures to identify and address any issues tied to Aristocrat math in specific existing Light & Wonder hold and spin titles and those still under development. These procedures cover games for which Light & Wonder had been ordered to produce math models during the United States litigation phase.
The settlement also addressed industry-wide expectations regarding game development practices. The parties stated that significant investment and innovation go into game creation, including math frameworks, and that protection of such proprietary assets is essential for competition.
Company Statements on Intellectual Property and Conduct
Aristocrat CEO and Managing Director Trevor Croker commented on the outcome, stating in a joint press release: “Aristocrat welcomes fair competition but will always robustly defend and enforce its intellectual property rights. As an ideas and innovation company our intellectual property is vital to our ongoing success. We are committed to protecting the great work of our dedicated creative and technical teams.”
He added: “We welcome this positive outcome, which includes significant financial compensation and follows the decisive action we took to ensure the preservation of Aristocrat’s valuable intellectual property assets. This decisive action included securing a preliminary injunction in September 2024, at which time the court recognised that Light & Wonder was able to develop Dragon Train by using Aristocrat’s valuable trade secrets and without investing the equivalent time and money.”
Light & Wonder CEO Matt Wilson provided the company’s perspective on the dispute resolution process, stating: “Light & Wonder is pleased to resolve this matter and move forward. We are firmly committed to doing business the right way – respecting our competitors’ intellectual property rights while protecting our own rights.”
Wilson explained the origins of the issue, noting: “This matter arose when a former employee inappropriately used certain Aristocrat math without our knowledge and in direct violation of our policies. Upon discovery, we took immediate action and have since implemented strengthened processes aimed at preventing similar issues in the future.”
He said the resolution “protects the interests of our customers, employees, and shareholders, and allows us to continue our focus on developing and delivering the market-leading content our customers expect—without distraction or disruption.”
Both companies have now turned the page on a high-profile lawsuit that impacted product strategy and investor confidence, with the settlement providing a defined closure mechanism and permitting further development activities outside the contested titles.
