Why Light & Wonder Stock Blasted 10% Higher Today
The company had a good day in court.
It's being sued by a peer who's alleging intellectual property misappropriation.
10 stocks we like better than Light & Wonder ›
Gaming technology stock Light & Wonder (NASDAQ: LNW) -- formerly known as Scientific Games -- proved to be quite the solid bet on Wednesday. On some very positive news in the legal sphere, investors piled into the company's shares, pumping them more than 10% higher in price. That looked especially good when compared to the S&P 500's (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) flatline performance.
Light & Wonder is currently locked in a legal dispute with peer company Aristocrat Leisure. Aristocrat is accusing it of copying elements from one of its casino slot games in the design of Light & Wonder's Dragon Train game.
On Wednesday, the Nevada court in which the case is being heard made a ruling on discovery that favors Light & Wonder. It ruled that the company will not have to reveal its math models on the slot games in question. In addition, the court asked for specificity from Aristocrat regarding the trade secrets it's litigating to protect.
Aristocrat, which is headquartered in Australia, brought its case against the American company in 2024. At the time, it stated in a press release that it "will seek all appropriate remedies to address the harm caused by Light & Wonder's actions."
Light & Wonder had, understandably, been fairly quiet about the case. Perhaps it'll speak up more now that it seems to be tilting in its favor.
Having said that, I wouldn't be ready to break out the champagne if I were a shareholder, at least not yet. Court cases can develop and resolve in unexpected ways, and Light & Wonder isn't out of the woods. I don't think anyone should buy or sell the company's stock based on predictions of the lawsuit's outcome.
Before you buy stock in Light & Wonder, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Light & Wonder wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $689,813!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $906,556!*
Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 809% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 175% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join .
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025
Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Light & Wonder. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Why Light & Wonder Stock Blasted 10% Higher Today was originally published by The Motley Fool
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Forbes
13 minutes ago
- Forbes
Taylor Sheridan's ‘Landman:' Great Drama, But Not Exactly Reality
Kelly Coppins, a real landman at Chevron who negotiates deals that can make or break the economics ... More of operations in the nation's largest oil and gas producing basin, holds a field meeting in the Permian Basin of West Texas. Is Tommy Norris, the lead character portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton in Taylor Sheridan's runaway hit television drama, 'Landman,' really a landman as the oil and gas industry has traditionally defined the role? It's a question many in the industry and among those who, like me, write and talk about it have asked and tried to answer in the months during and after the show's breakout first season. I laid out my views on the show and its' relationship to reality in a story here last December, based on experience gained from more than 40 years in the industry. But my various job titles never included 'landman' in them, and, with chatter about the show building again as Sheridan and cast conduct shooting in various Texas locations for the show's Season 2 – set to debut this fall – it seemed prudent to seek out insights from someone who actually does the job. Let's Ask a Real Landman - Who Happens to be a Woman 'At Chevron, I'm responsible for land operations in the Permian and the Rockies,' Kelly Coppins, asset development land manager at Chevron, told me in a recent interview. 'Within my scope, I'm responsible for both surface and subsurface. And you do get a glimpse of both aspects of that in the TV show.' (Note to readers: Though she is obviously a woman, Coppins and other women in the role are still properly called 'landman.' It is a specific job title in the industry, not a gender-specific description.) But what about that opening scene of the show's first episode, which features Tommy Norris tied to a chair and being beaten to a pulp by members of a Mexican drug cartel? It turns out the drug lord also happens to be a landowner who isn't quite happy with the damages deal he'd entered into with M-Tex Oil, the fictional company where Norris works. Has Coppins ever been involved in any remotely similar incident, or heard of anyone who has? 'I can honestly say it's not something that has happened in my tenure, and I'm glad to say that,' she says with a chuckle. 'We do deal with things like snakes and contentious situations, of course. Our surface landmen are critical to our ability to conduct operations. A lot of them own and have experience with ranches, so they can relate and advocate for the surface owner. So, for that reason, they drive the ship on identifying surface locations and challenges we're going to encounter, and they make insurmountable issues visible during decision-making so that we don't end up in a bad situation.' Through advances in technology, Chevron monitors its operations across the Permian Basin from an ... More Integrated Operations Center, where they can remotely detect and control production and irregularities. Is 'Landman' Really About Tommy Norris? One theory which grew in popularity as the show's plot developed is that the title doesn't really refer to Tommy Norris – who most often appears to function more as a vice president of drilling and operations – but to his son, Cooper Norris, played by Arkansas-born Jacob Lofland. As season one progressed it became clear that Cooper not only wants to become a landman but also aspires to parlay the experience and relationships built while doing that job into ultimately owning a company of his own. When I posed that question to Coppins, she said she shares that theory, pointing out that the character is seen performing traditional surface-related tasks like building relationships with landowners and putting together deals for contiguous land parcels. She notes that those functions have been core functions at Chevron and other shale operators in recent years as horizontal well laterals have expanded to two miles or more in length. What a Landman Really Does To explain the significance of the landman's role, Coppins pointed out Chevron's mineral position dates back to the 19th century from a federal charter to build a trans-Pacific railway. This history led to Chevron's checkerboard mineral fee across West Texas. Thanks to the work of landmen, Chevron now has a contiguous acreage position that enables them to drill those long horizontals. Today, Chevron has a working interest in 1 of 5 Permian wells across 2.1 million acres and generates higher revenue per acre due to its royalty advantage and acquisition of acreage at substantially lower costs. When asked to tick off some of the other typical roles surface landmen like Cooper Norris would fill at a typical shale company in the Permian region, Coppins had a long list. 'Those men and women are trusted liaisons with their boots on the ground,' she begins. 'They build long relationships with landowners. And then in the office, we're negotiating high stakes deals for mineral rights that can make or break the economics of a project we're working on. As an example, you see title work in that opening scene, when Tommy Norris talks about the predecessors and interests, and that's very common to what we do.' On the show, she notes, we also watch Tommy Norris performing several other common landman roles. 'He does site prep and gives his expertise and knowledge on field locations, challenges, barriers. He talks through the cost of fencing a property, of securing the property, of ensuring road access, and then, of course, you hear the acquisition considerations and negotiations through those phone calls with Monty.' That is a reference to the character Monty Miller, played on the show by Texas-born actor Jon Hamm. A particularly interesting takeaway from the conversation with Coppins is the way in which the roles of in-house landmen and their managers at Chevron and some other companies have been expanded in the 21st century. Forty years ago, the role of an in-house landman at any company focused almost exclusively on title work, lease-related negotiations, and other surface-related activities. Today, Coppins and her team must balance securing the subsurface mineral rights to drill for oil and natural gas with the needs of surface landowners and environmental protection. That's a significant expansion of the job's scope in recent years, one that requires an expanded scope of expertise. All of which points to the reality that Coppins is in charge of managing a big piece of Chevron's land operations in the Permian Basin, which straddles Texas and New Mexico, and in the DJ Basin in Colorado. Chevron ranks as one of the biggest leaseholders and producers in both regions, so it is a high-impact and high-visibility department within the organization. The company is on track to reach and sustain over 1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the Permian alone over the next decade. Operations have come a long way from the way they're portrayed in 'Landman.' Contiguous acreage and ... More modern technology enable Chevron to increase oil and natural gas production while reducing surface footprint and capital investment through horizontal wells in the Permian. Why 'Landman' is a Groundbreaking Portrayal of the Industry Coppins agrees that everyone involved with 'Landman' has done a fine job of realistically capturing many aspects of the industry's role in the Permian basin, as well as the general landscape, culture and overall feel of what life is like in the Midland area. But she finds that the show misses the boat in the area of safety. As I pointed out in my piece last December, the show dramatized three major negative safety events – including a major well blowout and fire – which at least 7 workers were killed and others severely injured. 'It was jaw-dropping to me to see those scenes,' she says. 'In my mind, it's what I picture from quite a long time ago, when it really was the wild, wild west out there. The industry has come so far from what's depicted in the show. Safety and environmental protections are the top priority, a huge focus area for Chevron, and I know it's true for our competitors too. All of us want to maintain our license to operate and if we have incidents like that every day, we're not able to operate smoothly and be able to deliver what we're promising.' But, of course, from Sheridan's perspective as the show's producer and writer, all that high drama and danger helps with the ratings, so it's hard to blame him. And to be fair, Coppins agrees with my own view that 'Landman' is groundbreaking in that it is the first show centered on the oil and gas business that portrays an overall positive depiction of the oil and gas business. 'Landman' gets some things wrong, but it also gets many things about the job of a real landman right. For an industry which has long been treated by the television and film industries as a dirty, dangerous business run by unethical, cartoon-ish villains like J.R. Ewing, such a balanced portrayal is a welcome change, indeed.

Wall Street Journal
14 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
The College Sports Gold Rush Is About to Run Into a Brick Wall
When Ohio State won college football's national championship in January, it was a victory for perseverance, hard work and offensive ingenuity. But it was also a triumph of cold, hard cash.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
One Bitcoin Is Over $100,000 — 5 Ways New Investors Can Afford It
Bitcoin's price has soared past $100,000, making headlines and sparking new interest among Americans who want to get in on the action. For many, the idea of buying a whole bitcoin at this price seems impossible. But, according to Anthony Georgiades, founder and general partner at Innovating Capital, 'You don't need to buy a full bitcoin to get started.' Read More: Try This: Most major exchanges and popular payment apps allow investors to buy fractions of a bitcoin, making it possible to invest with small amounts. New investors can also use traditional brokerage accounts, bitcoin ETFs, or even invest in companies involved in the crypto industry. With so many options available, here are five smart ways to afford bitcoin when the price tag for one coin is sky-high. Georgiades explained that 'fractional investing just means you're buying a piece of a bitcoin rather than the whole thing.' It is the easiest way for new investors to afford bitcoin, since you can buy as little as $5 or $10 worth. Bitcoin is divided into units called 'satoshis,' allowing even a $10 investment to give you exposure to this digital asset. Most major exchanges like Coinbase, as well as apps like Cash App and PayPal, let you purchase small fractions, making it accessible for nearly anyone. Before you buy, compare fees and minimums on different platforms, since costs can add up with small purchases. Always use a reputable exchange and consider moving your bitcoin to a secure wallet as your holdings grow. See Next: Payment apps like PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App have made buying bitcoin as easy as sending money to a friend. According to Gadinsider, these apps allow you to buy bitcoin in small amounts, track your investment, and even transfer your crypto to another wallet. Georgiades said, 'Apps like Cash App, PayPal, and Venmo also make it easy to buy tiny amounts.' To get started, just select bitcoin in the app, enter the amount you want to buy, and follow the instructions. You can store your bitcoin in the app or move it to another wallet for added security. This approach is ideal for beginners who want a simple, familiar way to start investing without dealing with complicated exchanges or wallets. If you prefer a more traditional route, consider investing in a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) or exchange-traded product (ETP). These funds let you track bitcoin's price without having to manage wallets or private keys. Georgiades explained, 'You can invest through bitcoin ETFs or ETPs using a regular brokerage account.' Bitcoin ETFs are easy to buy, offer low fees, and allow you to purchase fractional shares, making them accessible for smaller budgets. You will see returns that closely match bitcoin's price, minus the fund's expense ratio. This method is less risky than holding bitcoin directly, but you still need to be aware that the value of your investment will rise and fall with bitcoin's price. Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) is a strategy where you invest a fixed amount in bitcoin on a regular schedule, like weekly or monthly. Georgiades described DCA as 'a simple strategy: you invest a set amount on a regular schedule regardless of Bitcoin's price.' According to Forbes, this approach helps smooth out the ups and downs of the market and takes emotion out of investing. DCA can help you avoid the risk of buying at a market peak, but it does not protect you from a long-term drop in bitcoin's price. Be mindful of trading fees, as frequent small purchases can add up over time. Another way to get exposure to bitcoin is by buying shares in companies involved in the crypto industry, such as exchanges like Coinbase or mining firms. Georgiades pointed out that 'another indirect way is by buying stocks in crypto-related companies like Coinbase or mining firms.' You can also invest in blockchain ETFs, which focus on companies building the technology behind bitcoin. This method gives you exposure to the broader crypto ecosystem without owning bitcoin directly. While it's not the same as holding bitcoin, it can be a good way to participate in the industry's growth, especially if you are more comfortable with traditional stocks. More From GOBankingRates 3 Luxury SUVs That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Summer 2025 How Much Money Is Needed To Be Considered Middle Class in Your State? Mark Cuban Says Trump's Executive Order To Lower Medication Costs Has a 'Real Shot' -- Here's Why This article originally appeared on One Bitcoin Is Over $100,000 — 5 Ways New Investors Can Afford It