A US appeals court ruling several years ago deemed social casino applications as illegal due to their similarity to casino-style gambling, despite not offering cash payouts. This issue has resurfaced in a new lawsuit filed against Amazon.com, accusing the online retail giant of profiting from “an illegal internet gambling enterprise.”
The class action lawsuit, filed by a Nevada resident, alleges that Amazon has earned billions of dollars by distributing applications that offer casino-style activities with virtual chips. These applications, described as “Vegas-Style social casino apps,” are said to be aggressively marketed and distributed to customers with Android and Amazon devices.
According to the lawsuit, social casinos allow users to experience slot machine gambling from their smartphones, tablets, and internet browsers, making it available anywhere and anytime. The lawsuit claims that leading gambling operators from Las Vegas partnered with developers over the last 10 years to create popular social casinos that simulate the slot gambling experience.
The lawsuit accuses Amazon and social casino companies of bringing “slot machines into the homes of consumers throughout the United States, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.” Filed by the law firm Edelson PC on behalf of Steven Horn, the lawsuit marks the eighth of its kind for the company.
Todd Logan, a leading attorney at Edelson, stated that the firm has previously secured millions of dollars in settlements for its clients in similar cases related to social casino applications. He expressed the firm’s intention to try the case to a jury of Amazon’s peers.
The lawsuit sheds light on the contentious issue of social casinos and their resemblance to traditional gambling activities, as well as the potential legal implications for companies like Amazon that profit from their distribution.