Norwegian Cruise Line, seeking to expand its casino offerings to passengers, is partnering with Light & Wonder (LNW) to provide Operator Wide Area Progressive (OWAP) table games to its 18-ship fleet.
According to Light & Wonder, the 200 GM Atlas systems will feature jackpot progressives plus blackjack and poker derivatives. Its OWAP technology will enable the cruise line to link gaming titles across multiple vessels through a centralized network, encouraging participation in progressive jackpots. This change will allow for more robust winnings for a jackpot winner than if each prize pool relied on a single ship’s casino patrons.
In the release, Ian Donald, Norwegian’s vice president of gaming operations, lauded the innovation.
“We are thrilled to work with Light & Wonder to introduce OWAP table games to our 18-ship fleet. This innovative technology allows us to link gaming experiences across our vessels, offering our guests even more excitement and the opportunity for larger payouts.”
Niaz Nejad, LNW’s America-focused managing director of gaming, echoed Donald’s sentiment.
“We take pride in delivering exciting gaming experiences that resonate with players, whether on land or at sea. 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.
Fleet boasts nearly 5,000 gaming machines
According to Norweigan Cruise Lines, it operates out of 15 US ports of departure, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, and New York, as well as two Canadian ports.
Its Casinos at Sea program features an array of table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, and several variants of poker. It also allows passengers to play reel machines, video slots, hybrid slots, and video poker, boasting more than 4,800 slot machines dispersed throughout its fleet.
Currently, Light & Wonder has four games contributing to one progressive among all tables and all ships—blackjack, Let It Ride, Three-Card Poker, and Ultimate Texas Hold ’em. The Norwegian Breakaway got the first installation in August, and other ships are coming online.
Per CruiseMapper, the Norweigan Breakaway is currently on an 11-day Caribbean cruise.
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