To say that Light & Wonder has been busy the last few months is akin to saying it’s hot in Las Vegas in July.
In March 2022, the gambling products and service provider changed its name from Scientific Games to Light & Wonder. On Oct. 10, CEO Matt Wilson’s interim tag was removed, making him the permanent Chief Executive Officer. And at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, the company is rolling out an array of new products and designs.
“We just love these products,” says Nathan Drane, Senior Vice President, Global Product Management, Gaming. “We want to show how we’re going to support our customers with these robust brand extensions, platform brands, and new licenses.”
On the G2E show floor, Light & Wonder offered revisions and enhancements to such slot games as Ultimate Fire Link, Quick Hit, and Jin Ji Bao X. Live Dealer is touted as a next generation electronic table game featuring internet connectivity and customization for operator brands, players, and regulatory needs. Among the features of Roulette X, another electronic table game, is a random number generator that offers a multiplier to increase higher payouts.
Drane is especially excited about the company’s new Cosmic cabinet that uses fiber-optic lighting, a convention “that hasn’t been done before in the gaming industry.”
Cosmic features an innovative design contour with a 27-inch top-monitor display that flows seamlessly into the player panels and, according to the company’s description, “the brightest bash buttons ever developed by Light & Wonder. Players will have a new curved-screen experience,” Drane says. “It’s new look, a new feel, and a whole new lighting package. I think players will take notice.”
One of the company’s most ingenious new devices has no public face, but will be a boon to any casino that uses playing cards. The Card Recycler takes damaged cards – notably, the folded and creased cards from baccarat games – and eliminates them from up to eight decks simultaneously.
“You run them through the machine and it scans each card,” said David Kriendlhofer, Senior Director, Product Management, noting that even cards with minor imperfections are determined to be unusable and winnowed from the decks.
The good cards come out of the Card Recycler sorted by suit and in order, a trick that Penn & Teller might envy.
“Casinos can reuse the cards even multiple time, because then they’ve got a new set of cards,” Kriendlhofer said, adding that in any given round of baccarat, 30% or cards get destroyed.
Other innovations that Light & Wonder introduced at G2E include:
- The slot game Sinatra, which offers high-denomination play and songs by the revered Las Vegas icon
- A preview of Johnny Cash, the Man in Black, a title that’s scheduled to launch later this year.
- AToM, a point-of-play PIN debit solution that provides access to funds without leaving the tables
- Unified Wallet, which provides instant access to gaming funds at the point of-play for slots and tables, live in multiple locations
