Light & Wonder slots

Who makes Light & Wonder slots?

Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Light & Wonder is a gaming technology group with roughly 6,500 to 6,800 employees and Matt Wilson as chief executive. Until 2022 it traded as Scientific Games. Its shares trade on the Australian Securities Exchange under the code LNW, and it delisted from Nasdaq in November 2025.

The business has three parts: land-based gaming (cabinets and table products), SciPlay (social casino apps played without real-money prizes) and iGaming (online casino content). For UK slot players, the iGaming side matters most, because it is where Barcrest’s online games, WMS and Bally conversions and Lightning Box releases come from. Our online slot providers hub lists the group’s brands alongside independent studios.

From Scientific Games to Light & Wonder: a timeline

Light & Wonder is less a single studio than a collection of famous machine makers bought over two decades. According to its company history (opens in a new tab), its roots run back to Automatic Totalisators in 1917 and Scientific Games in 1973.

Each acquired brand brought its own history. Bally dates from 1932 and is credited with Money Honey, an electromechanical machine whose release is given as 1963 or 1964 depending on the account; our page on electromechanical slot machines covers that era. Williams and WMS moved from pinball into slots in the 1990s, with Reel ’Em In (1996) as its first hit, according to the WMS Industries history (opens in a new tab). Barcrest was a leading British pub-machine maker, owned by IGT from 1998 until 2010.

Best-known Light & Wonder slots and their figures

The table covers the group’s games for which we hold checked specifications, grouped by the brand that made them.

Barcrest’s Rainbow Riches remains the group’s signature UK title, with its Irish theme and pick-style bonuses rooted in British pub and betting-shop machines; spin-offs include Rainbow Riches Megaways, Pick n Mix and Reels of Gold. From the American side, Raging Rhino and Planet Moolah are WMS conversions, while 88 Fortunes and Dancing Drums bring an Asian-themed casino-floor style. Barcrest’s board-game bonus in Monopoly Big Event and the pick feature in Action Bank round out the list.

Light & Wonder slots RTP: why some vary with the stake

Several Barcrest games, including Pick n Mix and Reels of Gold, have an RTP that changes with the stake you choose. The help screen typically shows a table: lower stakes return a little less, higher stakes a little more. This is a design inherited from land-based machines, and it means that two players on the same game can face slightly different long-run costs.

The arithmetic is still simple. Using an illustrative 94% at a low stake and 96% at a higher one: 100 spins at 20p cost £20, with an average long-run loss of £1.20 at 94%. 100 spins at £2 cost £200, with an average loss of £8 at 96%. The higher RTP doesn’t make the bigger stake cheaper in pounds; it only lowers the percentage. Our explainer on RTP variants covers the different reasons one game can have several returns.

Those are long-run averages, not session forecasts. The Megaways version is high volatility, so its results swing much further either side. The full side-by-side is on our Rainbow Riches vs Rainbow Riches Megaways comparison.

Max wins on Light & Wonder slots at UK stakes

Only two of the group’s games in our checked data list a maximum win, and they show how much the ceiling varies across the catalogue.

The caps are rarely reached, and the frequency isn’t published. For games where we hold no max-win figure, the help screen states it. Our page on max win caps explains how the ceiling interacts with features.

Barcrest, Global Draw and UK venues

The group’s reach in Britain goes beyond online slots. Barcrest built fruit machines for pubs and arcades for decades, and The Global Draw, another brand in the group, is associated with betting-shop terminals. Machines in British venues are governed by the gaming machine categories, not by the online rules; for example, the Category B2 maximum stake in betting shops was cut from £100 to £2 on 1 April 2019. Our guides to betting shop machines and UK machine categories explain the limits.

Barcrest’s machine history, including titles such as Body Match (1990) and The Crystal Maze (1994), is catalogued by the Arcade Museum’s Barcrest page (opens in a new tab), and our history of slot machines in Britain puts it in context.

Light & Wonder slots: UK licensing and game rules

The Gambling Commission’s register lists several Light & Wonder companies, including LNW Gaming UK Limited (account 66104), LNW Gaming Gibraltar Limited (40129) and LNW Gaming Inc (41115). You can confirm current status by searching the register of gambling businesses (opens in a new tab). Don’t confuse the group with Bally’s Corporation, a separate casino operator that bought rights to the Bally name for casinos.

Online versions of Rainbow Riches and its stablemates were adjusted when the slot game design rules began on 31 October 2021: each spin must be started by hand and last 2.5 seconds or more, the reels can’t be stopped early, and a payout that fails to beat the bet isn’t celebrated. The maximum spin is £5 from age 25 and £2 for younger adults, and UK-licensed casinos don’t offer paid entry to bonus rounds.

How to check a Light & Wonder slot’s RTP

1. Open the game at a UK-licensed casino and tap the help, information or paytable icon.
2. Find the RTP section; on Barcrest games, look for a table of RTP by stake.
3. Note the RTP at the stake you plan to use, not the highest figure shown.
4. Check the maximum win and any jackpot rules in the same screen.
5. Set a session budget using the stake and RTP you have just confirmed.

Are Light & Wonder slots worth playing?

If you are new to the group, Rainbow Riches is the clearest starting point because its features are simple and the rules are short. Our slots for beginners guide suggests what else to look for.

Where to play Light & Wonder slots in the UK

Light & Wonder games, especially Barcrest titles, are widely carried by UK-licensed casinos, but each lobby differs and changes over time, so search for the game before you join. None of the offers below is tied to a Light & Wonder slot.

At Coral, new players who deposit and bet £10 on slots receive 100 free spins (10p each on selected games, accept within 48 hours, valid 7 days, no wagering on winnings). Ladbrokes releases up to 500 free spins, 50 a day for 10 days at 10p on selected games with no wagering, once you play £10 on slots. PlayOJO offers 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each, with no wagering, for a first deposit of £10 or more. 18+, terms apply, and Coral and Ladbrokes share an operator, so check eligibility.

Decide a budget before you play and use reality checks to keep track of time.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.