In a historic decision, a Washington court ordered online casino operator High 5 Games to pay $24.9 million in damages. This landmark ruling comes after the court found that the company’s social casino service violated state law.
A group of Washington players who lost money while gambling on the website were ordered by the court to get compensation from High 5 Games. The social casino business was determined to be in violation of state legislation during a trial last year, which led to this decision. The impacted class received a total of $18 million in damages from the jury, plus an extra $7 million in enhanced damages.
The evidence presented during the trial revealed that High 5 Games had specifically targeted high-spending players, some of whom were referred to as ‘whales.’ Many of these individuals had gambling addictions and had lost substantial amounts of money.
Despite the ruling, High 5 Games denied the accusations, arguing that the damages claimed could not be substantiated. The company refuted the claims of wrongdoing presented by the plaintiffs.
Legal and Industry Impact
Todd Logan, a partner at Edelson PC, commented on the ruling, calling it a significant milestone. He stated, “This verdict is a milestone, but it’s only the beginning. Some of our clients lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to their gambling addictions here, and big tech cannot be allowed to continue to profit off of these devastating addictions. We will continue fighting to ensure big tech answers for its role in enabling and profiting from illegal gambling.”
This case is expected to have broader implications for the regulation of online gambling, as it sets a precedent for future legal actions against operators enabling illegal activities.
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