Aristocrat Leisure Limited and Light & Wonder have agreed to settle their pending litigation in Australia and the US which Aristocrat brought following the launch of Light & Wonder’s Dragon Train game, which Aristocrat contends was developed using Aristocrat’s trade secrets and copyright works. Aristocrat later made similar claims against Light & Wonder’s Jewel of the Dragon game.

While the specific terms of the settlement remain confidential, the parties can confirm that:

• Light & Wonder has agreed to compensate Aristocrat USD $127.5 million (approximately AUD $190 million) in respect of the claims for misappropriation and infringement of its intellectual property.

• Light & Wonder acknowledges that certain Aristocrat math information was used in connection with the development of both Dragon Train and Jewel of the Dragon. Light & Wonder has agreed to permanently cease commercialization of these games globally and to make best efforts to remove existing installations.

• Light & Wonder has agreed not to make any further use of the Aristocrat math information and copyright works at issue in the litigation, and to permanently destroy all documents reflecting that information.

• The parties have agreed to confidential procedures for identifying and resolving any issues concerning the use of Aristocrat math in connection with certain existing Light & Wonder hold and spin games and certain hold and spin games now in development, including games for which Light & Wonder was ordered to produce math models to Aristocrat in the US litigation.

• Aristocrat’s claims against Light & Wonder in Australia and the US will be dismissed.

• Both Light & Wonder and Aristocrat acknowledge the significant investment and innovation that goes into game design and development including the complex and confidential underlying math and the need to ensure protection of those valuable, proprietary assets. Both parties agree that maintaining protection of these valuable proprietary assets, and respecting intellectual property rights, is critical to ensure fair competition among all participants in the gaming industry.

Aristocrat CEO and Managing Director Trevor Croker said: “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. 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 said: “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. 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. This settlement 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.”

BETER, the award-winning provider of live streams, live data, and odds for esports and sports, has had its Setka Cup table tennis tournaments added to the North Carolina sports wagering catalog.

The approval, granted by the North Carolina State Lottery Commission, marks BETER’s sixth US state launch, alongside New Jersey, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, and Colorado.

It means BETER can now offer its exclusive Setka Cup table tennis tournaments, including live data and live streams, to operators in the state for the first time.

Setka Cup is already live on the North Carolina domain of the provider’s longstanding partner, bet365, with additional operator launches planned in the near future.

BETER delivers 24/7 live streaming, real-time data, and hyper-accurate odds for more than 700,000 fast-paced events each year across a range of esports and sports disciplines, offering up to 50 betting markets per event and an average operator margin higher than the market standard.

All matches are monitored by BETER’s dedicated Integrity team, ensuring strict adherence to transparency standards and the rules of fair play.

Gal Ehrlich, CEO of BETER, said: “In 2026, BETER has ambitious plans for the US market, where we are already seeing high demand for our fast-betting content across all states we have gone live in over the last couple of months.

“Demand for fast-betting content is only going to rise, and we are committed to delivering the best experiences for players, with integrity used as the foundation of our products and solutions.

“We are thrilled to have secured approval in North Carolina and look forward to operators and their players enjoying the thrilling experiences offered by our sports products.”

Valeriia Tarchynska, Chief Legal Officer at BETER, added: “Securing approval to launch in North Carolina is another testament to our commitment to meeting the standards set in regulated markets across the world, including the US.

“The US is a complex market where regulations differ from state to state, but we have a talented and experienced team to navigate this.

“BETER is now approved in several US states, with many more on our roadmap, including Ohio, Kentucky, Arizona, and others. As demand for 24/7 content grows drastically, we are dedicated to meeting it in as many regulated US states as possible.”