GGRAsia – L&W’s Dragon Train slots debut in North America

L&W’s Dragon Train slots debut in North America

Mar 11, 2024 Newsdesk Latest News, Trends & Tech, World

Casino equipment and game technology provider Light & Wonder Inc says its “Dragon Train” slots (pictured) have been installed at multiple casinos across the United States, including in the state of Nevada.

“Dragon Train has become the fastest selling Light & Wonder game in the Australian market since its launch in 2023,” stated the company in a Friday press release.

Light & Wonder introduced the title to the gaming sector in August. The firm noted that it had been “developed specifically with the Australian player and customer in mind”.

“The game’s popularity and performance in Australia have set the stage for its highly anticipated entry into the U.S.,” said the company in Friday’s announcement. The title is available at venues in Nevada, California, Kansas, and Minnesota, it added.

The release quoted Nathan Drane, the firm’s chief product officer for gaming, as saying: “Light & Wonder is thrilled to offer players in the U.S. the opportunity to enjoy Dragon Train, with four exciting titles featuring experience-elevating game components.”

He added: “We are encouraged by the game’s phenomenal success in Australia and are confident it will resonate just as well with U.S. operators and players.”

Offered in the company’s Kascada dual-screen cabinet, Dragon Train has some “innovative features”, including the “Hold-and-Spin feature, new Sticky Reels and the Cash Cluster game feature,” said the gaming supplier.

The theme launched with four titles: “Chi Lin Wins”, “Khutulun Battle Princess”, “Sun Shots”, and “Forever Emperor”.

Light & Wonder also said it plans to release the Dragon Train title across the group’s social and iGaming platforms, “making it available to all players”.

In January, JP Morgan Securities said it expected Light & Wonder to “exceed” by 2025 a US$1.4-billion target for annual earnings, before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA).

According to the brokerage, the land-based gaming division would be the “key driver” for Light & Wonder’s EBITDA growth.

“Early performance from the new Dragon Train family of games [in Australia] demonstrates good early execution,” observed the brokerage.

“The recently launched family of games in Australia gives us confidence in the direction of travel for the company to achieve similar growth in the much larger U.S. profit pool,” said the JP Morgan analysts, adding that the new titles had helped lift Light & Wonder’s average turnover ratio in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland.

Light & Wonder completed in May last year a secondary listing on the Australian Securities Exchange. The firm’s primary listing remains on Nasdaq in the United States.