In recent years, a number of class actions have taken up the question of whether gambling game apps constitute illegal gambling. A court has held that a game called Big Fish Casino has been held by one court to be illegal gambling in the state of Washington. The complaint for this class action alleges that Zynga, Inc. slot machine games are also illegal and that players should be able to recover their losses.
The class for this action is all persons in Washington state who have bought and lost chips playing Hit It Rich!, Black Diamond Casino, Game of Thrones Slots, Wizard of Oz Slots, Willy Wonka Slots, or other social casino games from Zynga.
The complaint begins by saying, “The Ninth Circuit recently held that a social casino game called Big Fish Casino ‘constitutes illegal gambling under Washington law.’”
Zynga also makes various casino slots gaming apps, including Hit It Rich!, Black Diamond Casino, Wizard of Oz Slots, Game of Thrones Slots, and Willy Wonka Slots. First-time players are given a certain number of coins or chips to play with. The complaint alleges, “These free sample chips offer a taste of gambling and are designed to encourage players to get hooked and buy more chips for real money.”
When players run out of the free allotment of coins or chips, a pop-up screen announces this and offers them more as an in-app purchase, at prices between $2.99 and $99.99 or even more. The only way to continue to play the game, the complaint alleges, is by paying real money.
To play, players first choose the bet to be placed on the next spin. Zynga games let players raise or lower the amount they bet on the spin, and thus the amount they can ultimately win. The player then pushes the Spin button. This is all the player does or can do to play the game. When the spin is completed, Zynga tells the player of the outcome—win or lose—and adjust the player’s account balance.
Washington has a “Recovery of money lost at gambling” statute that allows those who lose money at illegal gambling may regain what they lost. The complaint quotes it as saying that “all persons losing money or anything of value at or on any illegal gambling games shall have a cause of action to recover from the dealer or player winning, or from the proprietor for whose benefit such game was played or dealt, or such money or things of value won, the amount of the money or the value of the thing so lost.”
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Zynga Illegal Gambling Games Recovery of Losses Washington Complaint
February 24, 2022
In recent years, a number of class actions have taken up the question of whether gambling game apps constitute illegal gambling. A court has held that a game called Big Fish Casino has been held by one court to be illegal gambling in the state of Washington. The complaint for this class action alleges that Zynga, Inc. slot machine games are also illegal and that players should be able to recover their losses.
Zynga Illegal Gambling Games Recovery of Losses Washington ComplaintCase Event History
Zynga Illegal Gambling Games Recovery of Losses Washington Complaint
February 24, 2022
In recent years, a number of class actions have taken up the question of whether gambling game apps constitute illegal gambling. A court has held that a game called Big Fish Casino has been held by one court to be illegal gambling in the state of Washington. The complaint for this class action alleges that Zynga, Inc. slot machine games are also illegal and that players should be able to recover their losses.
Zynga Illegal Gambling Games Recovery of Losses Washington Complaint