LNW Gaming to Shut Down Michigan Facility, Lay Off Workers

Light & Wonder subsidiary LNW Gaming has announced that it will be shutting down a facility in Michigan. This will lead to layoffs, which will affect roughly 100 employees, according to a filing by the company.

Layoffs Are Upcoming  

As outlined in a WARN notice submitted to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity in February, the facility at 22630 Haggerty Road in Farmington Hills, Michigan, will shut down next month. The company confirmed that the venue will be closed permanently and that layoffs will be necessary.

According to LNW Gaming, it will lay off some 92 employees because of the shutdown of the Michigan facility. It added that the layoffs will begin on April 27 and will affect workers ranging from entry operators and game show presenters to managers, supervisors and trainers.

LNW Gaming added that the workers are not represented by a union and that there are no bumping rights for any employee.

LNW Experienced a Significant Legal Setback

Speaking of LNW Gaming, the company recently had legal trouble in Nevada where a judge sided with the plaintiff in a case against the company.

The lawsuit in question was initiated by Talisman Group, which was represented by Las Vegas-based boutique law firm Bailey Kennedy. According to the group, LNW had violated an existing distribution agreement it had with the company for a popular baccarat product called EZ Baccarat.

LNW Gaming had leased EZ Baccarat to offer it to the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. However, at the same time, LNW marketed a competing no-commission baccarat game called Ruyi Baccarat.

The judge ended up siding with Talisman, agreeing that LNW Gaming had indeed violated its contract with the group. The plaintiff’s legal representatives were very happy with this outcome, considering that Talisman is a two-person gaming company, which succeeded in tackling one of the vastest gaming businesses in the world.

The legal battle, however, is not over yet and will continue in Vancouver.

Light & Wonder to Exit the Live Casino Market

In other Light & Wonder-related news, the parent company recently announced its departure from the live-dealer iGaming market. The drastic move was revealed during the company’s latest earnings call and will effectively leave Evolution and Playtech as the only two remaining live casino suppliers in the US.

Light & Wonder’s management announced that it will instead focus on other products, believing that they offer better visibility for superior returns compared to live casino gaming. CEO Matt Wilson pointed out that the vertical ultimately turned out to be a smaller portion of the business than initially expected.