Norwegian Cruise Line Taps Light and Wonder for Casino Table Games

Posted on: January 1, 2025, 02:22h. 

Last updated on: January 1, 2025, 02:22h.

Devin O'Connor Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Norwegian Cruise Line has contracted Light & Wonder to bring progressive table games to its fleet.

Norwegian casino Light & Wonder
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Casinos at Sea are being upgraded with new progressive table games supplied by Light & Wonder. The table games are coming to 18 Norwegian ships. (Image: Norwegian Cruise Line)

Last month, the cruise line announced it had selected Las Vegas-based L&W to bring the gaming manufacturer’s Operator Wide Area Progressive table games to its 18 cruise ships. The order is for 200 GM Atlas systems, which feature progressives for blackjack and poker derivatives.

This innovative technology allows us to link gaming experiences across our vessels, offering our guests even more excitement and the opportunity for larger payouts,” said Ian Donald, Norwegian’s vice president of gaming.

“We take pride in delivering exciting gaming experiences that resonate with players, whether on land or at sea,” added Niaz Nejad, managing director of L&W’s Americas business unit. “We’re excited to collaborate with Norwegian Cruise Line to launch its first OWAP table games network. By connecting our industry-leading GM Atlas progressives across their extensive fleet, we’re bringing the excitement of gaming to NCL’s guests at sea.”

Norwegian is an American cruise line based in Miami. The company was founded in 1966 by Norwegian Knut Kloster and Israeli businessman Ted Arison.

Gambling at Sea

It was only a decade or so ago that casinos aboard cruise ships were losing favor among many passengers. But with the explosion of gambling in the United States, led by the expansion of legal sports betting following a May 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision, casinos have regained their footing on most major cruise lines.

Royal Caribbean has swapped out its “Jazz on 4” lounges for smoke-free gaming parlors. The company has also made substantial investments to upgrading the Casino Royale spaces.

Crystal Symphony recently opened the first Monte-Carlo Casino at sea, and Carnival partnered with Bally’s on a points scheme.

For Norwegian, the fourth-largest cruise operator in the world by passengers, its agreement with Light & Wonder will bring blackjack, let it ride, three-card poker, and ultimate Texas hold’em to the sea. Norwegian’s Breakaway ship was the first boat to receive the L&W progressive table games.

L&W was Scientific Games until 2021 when it sold off its sports betting division to Endeavor Group for $1.2 billion and divested its lottery division to Brookfield Business Partners for $6.1 billion. The organization rebranded to L&W, a name company officials claim represents the work they do every day, in 2022.

Norwegian Casinos 

Norwegian brands its gaming spaces Casinos At Sea. The cruise line offers a casino rewards program, with points accrued with every spin of a slot machine and each table game bet.

Norwegian’s Casinos At Sea feature more than 4,800 slot machines, with terminals supplied by Aristocrat, Everi, and IGT. Like most land-based casinos, Casinos At Sea only deal in cash. Each casino has ATMs, but credit is also available for qualified passengers. The minimum application amount is $5K.  

Casinos At Sea are known for catering to high rollers, with slot bets ranging up to $100 a spin and table game bets of $5K available. Common tables aboard the Norwegian casinos include blackjack, craps, and roulette.