WMS Slots Are Now Light & Wonder: What Changed and Why
Scientific Games split into three companies. Here's where WMS, Bally and Barcrest actually live today
Scientific Games Ratings
Our review team has rated Scientific Games on the categories below and Scientific Games scores an awesome 91% ratings overall.
Introduction to WMS and Light & Wonder
Before we go any further, here’s something important to clear up. This page has historically covered Scientific Games Corporation, the parent company of WMS Industries. That corporate structure no longer exists. Since 2022, the gaming business once known as Scientific Games operates under a completely new name: Light & Wonder, Inc.
The “Scientific Games” name is now owned by a separate, privately held lottery company. The slots and casino business people usually mean by that name is today called Light & Wonder.
WMS Industries remains a subsidiary, just under this new parent company instead. Light & Wonder is publicly traded and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. That continues the same physical base the old Scientific Games used.
Today’s portfolio still includes computerised and mechanical slots, table games, and iGaming and social gaming products. Server-based interactive gambling terminals and gambling control systems round it out. Light & Wonder employs thousands of people worldwide, with commercial facilities spread across multiple continents.
They also still own the notable subsidiaries you’d expect: Bally Technologies, Barcrest, NYX Gaming and WMS Industries. What’s changed is the sports betting platform OpenBet, which is no longer part of the group at all.
A Major Corporate Split
In 2021, Scientific Games Corporation announced plans to sell off two entire divisions. Its lottery division sold to Brookfield Business Partners for $6.1 billion. Its sports betting division, OpenBet, sold to Endeavor Group Holdings. That deal closed in October 2022 for roughly $800 million.
Here’s the twist. As part of the lottery sale, Brookfield also acquired rights to the Scientific Games name itself. So the remaining gaming, iGaming and social casino business needed an entirely new identity. In March 2022, it rebranded as Light & Wonder, Inc.
This wasn’t a minor rename. It represented the end of a company that had spent decades as three very different businesses bundled under one name. Lottery systems, gaming machines, and sports betting technology all lived under one roof until then. Each piece now operates entirely independently, under different owners.
One more recent update worth knowing: in November 2025, Light & Wonder delisted from the Nasdaq exchange. The company had already listed on the Australian Securities Exchange back in May 2022, and it now trades there instead.
Light & Wonder Today
Light & Wonder now ranks as the second-largest slot machine manufacturer in the world, behind only Aristocrat Leisure. That’s a genuinely significant position in a crowded, competitive global market. The company generates around $2.7 billion in revenue. That’s spread across three main segments. Gaming covers slot machines and casino systems, SciPlay handles social casino games, and iGaming covers digital real-money gaming content.
Since the split, Light & Wonder has kept growing through acquisitions too. In November 2021, it acquired Authentic Gaming, a live-streaming casino games provider. May 2022, it acquired Playzido, having already worked with the company through a prior distribution deal. In February 2025, it acquired Grover Gaming, a charitable gambling business operating pull-tab games for charities across five US states.
Notable Awards
Scientific Games earned numerous industry awards during its years as a combined company. These remain a genuine part of the group’s history. They still reflect the quality of the underlying WMS, Bally and Barcrest game libraries carried forward into Light & Wonder.
2018
- SBC Awards: Best Live Betting Product (OpenBet)
- Standalone Sportsbook Platform Provider of the Year
- Business Awards of Macau: Most Valuable Brand
- Macau Gaming Show: Best Game Theme (Super Flower of Riches)
- Global Gaming Awards: Land-Based Industry Supplier of the Year, Digital Industry Supplier of the Year (SG Digital)
- Gaming and Technology Awards: Best Interactive Product (OpenBet)
2017
- Top 20 Most Innovative Gaming Technology Awards: TwinStar V75, Lightning Launch on the PRIZM GameTable
- Global Gaming Awards: Land-Based Industry Supplier of the Year, Digital Industry Supplier of the Year (NYX Gaming Group)
- EGR North America Awards: Casino Platform Supplier and Best Platform Supplier (NYX Gaming Group)
- Gaming Intelligence Awards: Lottery Supplier of the Year
2016
- Global Gaming Awards: Gold Award for Land-Based Gaming Innovation of the Year (SG Universe), Casino Product of the Year (Iron Man Deluxe)
- Asia Gaming Awards: Electronic Game Manufacturer, Best Table Games Supplier, Best Industry Supplier
- Gaming Intelligence Awards: Lottery Supplier of the Year
How Did This Company Begin?
The story starts back in 1973, when John Koza and Daniel Bower founded a company called Autotote. In 1974, they introduced the first-ever secure instant lottery ticket, a product still in use in some form today.
The company built a strong lottery business over the following decades. That included handling Mega Millions and Powerball tickets through secure point-of-sale systems. By 2002, two-thirds of the $20 billion wagered annually on North American racing ran through Autotote’s computer systems.
In 2000, Autotote purchased a company called Scientific Games. In 2001, the combined business renamed itself Scientific Games Corporation, adopting the acquired company’s name going forward. And then in 2006, it acquired The Global Draw and Games Media, both significant UK gaming names at the time.
The company kept expanding through acquisition. By 2013, it had bought WMS Industries. In 2014, it added Bally Technologies. Barcrest joined the group too. Together, they rounded out a genuinely massive portfolio of slot and casino game brands under one roof. That lasted right up until the 2021-2022 split described above.
Throughout all of this growth, the underlying games stayed licensed by respected regulators like the UK Gambling Commission. That ensured the same fairness standards applied, regardless of which brand a player encountered a game under.
What Type of Slots and Games Are Available?
Many popular games from the WMS, Bally and Barcrest years are still branded and actively played today. They now sit under the Light & Wonder umbrella. The selection spans slots, blackjack, roulette, keno, bingo and video poker.
The team provides both bespoke and network content. The aim is always a genuinely thrilling gaming experience, no matter which channel a player uses. Licensed content remains a big part of the appeal too. Light & Wonder continues to hold major licences, including 88 Fortunes and the British secret agent franchise 007 James Bond. It also holds a Monopoly licence, secured through an agreement with Hasbro.
Social Gaming Through SciPlay
Light & Wonder is a genuine leader in the social casino gaming market, operating through its SciPlay division. Top-performing titles include Bingo Showdown, Gold Fish Casino Slots and Hot Shot Casino. Jackpot Party, Quick Hit Slots, 88 Fortunes and Monopoly Slots round out the list.
SciPlay gives social casino enthusiasts a best-in-class, free-to-play channel. It draws on an exclusive library of authentic Las Vegas-style social casino games. These games are intended for an adult audience, and importantly, they don’t offer real-money gambling or cash prizes.
Does This Company Offer a Progressive Jackpot?
Yes. The company provides a progressive system supporting both linked progressive and linked mystery jackpots. These progressives stay tightly integrated with Bally slot management systems, creating a genuine one-wire solution for operators.
Is There a Mobile Platform?
Games run on HTML5, available for instant play on both desktop and mobile devices, including Apple and Android. This modern approach means no downloads or extra plugins are needed to get started.
Corporate Structure at a Glance
| Former Division | Now Operates As |
|---|---|
| Gaming, iGaming, Social (WMS, Bally, Barcrest, NYX) | Light & Wonder, Inc. |
| Lottery Division | Scientific Games (privately owned by Brookfield) |
| Sports Betting (OpenBet) | Owned by Endeavor Group Holdings |
Conclusion
This company’s story has genuinely transformed since it first built its reputation as Scientific Games Corporation. What used to be one sprawling company covering lottery, gaming and sports betting is now three separate businesses. Each one sits under a different owner. The slots and casino side is home to WMS, Bally, Barcrest and NYX. It now operates as Light & Wonder, and remains one of the biggest names in the industry.
If you’re researching WMS slots today, Light & Wonder is the name you’ll want to search for, not Scientific Games. That name now belongs to an entirely different, lottery-focused company. It has no involvement in slots, table games or casino software of any kind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Scientific Games still the parent company of WMS?
No. WMS is now a subsidiary of Light & Wonder, Inc. That’s what the gaming division of the old Scientific Games rebranded to in 2022. The “Scientific Games” name now belongs to a separate, privately owned lottery company.
What happened to OpenBet?
OpenBet, the UK sports betting platform, was sold to Endeavor Group Holdings in a deal that closed in October 2022. It’s no longer part of Light & Wonder or the lottery business.
Is Light & Wonder still listed on the stock market?
Yes, though it moved exchanges. It delisted from the Nasdaq in November 2025. The company now trades on the Australian Securities Exchange instead, where it first listed back in May 2022.
Does Light & Wonder still make WMS-branded slots?
Many classic WMS titles remain part of the Light & Wonder library. Newer releases and licensed franchises like James Bond and Monopoly sit alongside them.
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