Light & Wonder has shut down its live casino services. Learn about the closure, what it means for players, and available alternatives.
Light & Wonder has announced it will discontinue its live casino operations following a strategic review that determined resources would be better allocated elsewhere, marking an abrupt end to the software provider’s brief foray into the competitive live dealer gaming sector.
Questions remain about whether Authentic Gaming and Scientific Gaming-branded live dealer games are operating in Malta Gaming Authority, Curacao, and Anjouan-licensed online casinos. For now, some say that the Authentic Gaming brand is ripe for a takeover bid.
What Does the Closure Mean for Authentic Gaming and Scientific Gaming Branded Live Dealer Games?
To explain further, I haven’t seen any online casinos reviewed by Casinoplusbonus hosting live dealer games branded as L&W, although we have seen some with L&W slot games. In fact, I can’t recall reviewing an iGaming site that highlighted the brand’s suite of live dealer games or featured it in the software provider section.
Why? The Light & Wonder-branded live dealer gaming operations only existed in the USA. At the online casinos we review, the live dealer brand is identified as Scientific Gaming, although the company has since rebranded to L&W. Additionally, Authentic Gaming operates under L&W, a live dealer software provider featured in most online casinos we review.
Will those Scientific Gaming and Authentic Gaming-branded games disappear? I’m fairly certain that is not the case, as the closure is for US operations. However, whether that impact extends to global (external to the USA) operations remains to be seen.
CEO Makes the Announcement that L&W Will Exit Live Casino Vertical
CEO Matt Wilson revealed the decision during the company’s Q4 earnings call, explaining that after a thorough strategic review, the company identified changes to operator and supplier dynamics in the live casino category that resulted in degradation in pricing. “While we’re still in the relatively early days of investing in the business, we strive to stay nimble as an organization and are thus focusing on the risk-reward profile of our other businesses, which have better visibility to superior returns relative to live casino,” Wilson stated.
Source: The news of the live dealer studio closure for L&W came via a Bovada gambling news story, which currently only refers to the software provider’s operations in the USA and not it’s Scientific Gaming operations.
Industry Experts Surprised at the L&W Live Dealer Operation Shutdown
The decision may not come as a surprise to industry insiders and players. Throughout its brief tenure in the live casino space, Light & Wonder’s presence remained relatively muted across online gambling platforms. Few iGaming sites prominently featured the brand’s live dealer games in their software provider sections, and the company rarely made waves with new releases that would warrant coverage in weekly casino game reports. The exit leaves Evolution and Playtech as the only two remaining live casino suppliers in the US market, effectively consolidating the sector among the industry’s established giants.
Wilson admitted that exiting live casino shuts down a portion of the addressable market for iGaming, though he argued the vertical ultimately proved to be a smaller percentage than the business had originally anticipated.
Brief but Eventful Journey
Light & Wonder’s live casino journey began with the acquisition of Authentic Gaming in 2021, which was completed in 2022. The company first launched live casino in October 2023 in partnership with Authentic Gaming, bringing its Premium Live Dealer product to market. The launch featured five games delivered from Authentic Gaming’s newly built studio in Michigan.
- Premium Blackjack
- Stadium Blackjack
- Premium Roulette
- Premium Baccarat
- All Michigan Auto Roulette
The games went live with Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers brand in Michigan, marking Light & Wonder’s representation of the company’s landmark US launch. Following the acquisition, Light & Wonder made concerted efforts to transform Authentic into a provider of both studio-based and in-casino live games, launching the ARENA studio in Malta Livedealer. The company’s live games portfolio expanded rapidly through 2023 and 2024 with the addition of several live game shows, which had become essential offerings for any competitive live games provider.
Looking Ahead
Instead of live casino, Light & Wonder will focus on first-person perspective content, aggregation, and monetization tools to drive growth on the online side. The company’s decision reflects broader industry challenges where established players like Evolution have built seemingly insurmountable market positions. The move also impacts Light & Wonder’s recent corporate changes, as the company continues to refocus its strategic priorities. The future of Authentic Gaming remains uncertain, although industry analysts suggest that the brand could be an ideal acquisition target for providers seeking to establish or expand their US presence.
For online casino players who may have encountered Light & Wonder’s live dealer offerings during the past two years, the exit means one less option in an already Evolution-dominated market. Whether this consolidation ultimately benefits or harms player choice remains to be seen, but it clearly demonstrates the high barriers to entry in the competitive live casino sector.
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