Light & Wonder has been ordered to hand over mathematical models for games released in recent years in its ongoing Dragon Train trade secrets case.
Light & Wonder has been ordered to hand over mathematical models for games released in recent years in its ongoing Dragon Train trade secrets case.
The Nevada District Court on Friday (17 October) granted Aristocrat’s renewed discovery motion, in which it asked for all the maths models of any hold and spin game released since 2021, after previously rejecting it.
The case, which initially focused on its Dragon Train game, has caused significant damage to Light & Wonder’s share price since it began in February last year.
In a statement, the company said: “While we are disappointed with the court’s ruling, we remain confident, based on the expert review we previously disclosed, that there is no evidence of Aristocrat math being used in any commercially released games other than Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon.”
The news marks the latest twist in the ongoing case, with fact discovery now set to close on 15 December 2025 and expert discovery on 16 March 2026.
It centres around former Aristocrat designer Emma Charles, who is alleged to have used confidential Light & Wonder maths models in Dragon Train when she joined the business.
Aristocrat get Dragon Train injunction
Charles parted ways with the business in October 2024, after Aristocrat successfully persuaded the court to impose an injunction preventing Light & Wonder from profiting off its Dragon Train game in the US.
A new, legally compliant version of the game was also developed, with CEO Matt Wilson stating the material at issue was relatively limited in scope.
The most recent discovery motion argued Light & Wonder had admitted to using confidential Aristocrat maths in another game post-Dragon Train, in contrast to its previous denials.
Aristocrat also claimed audit logs showed hundreds of employees had accessed or edited the maths files, although Light & Wonder said these were being misinterpreted.
The business added that a full inspection of the math files was needed as keyword searches missed non-verbatim trade secrets use and that Light & Wonder’s systems couldn’t search within excel spreadsheets.