Famous Slot Machine and Casino Lawsuits
By Alex J. Coyne © Great Bridge Links
The gambling world is no stranger to lawsuits. In one of the weirdest, a woman reportedly sued Boomtown Casino after she claimed that she had been bitten by a bat. In another, a woman named Katrina Bookman sued when she was offered a complimentary steak dinner instead of the jackpot that she was expecting.
Just for fun, here are some interesting and infamous gambling and slot machine lawsuits. And if it all makes you want to play some slots, our Romanian friends can find some great offerings at this online cazino.
MGM Sues
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lodged a lawsuit against an online casino operator called LiveMGM.com in 2010 for trademark infringement. The website had MGM mentioned in its tagline, but wasn’t affiliated with the MGM brand at all – and of course, MGM was offered approximately $2 million in damages and LiveMGM forced to pull all of the infringing content.
This isn’t the first time MGM has sued anyone. In 2010, the Las Vegas Sun reported that six Chinese-based websites were being sued for trademark infringement. In another unfortunate lawsuit that was heavily criticised, MGM sued the victims of the Las Vegas shooting, saying they refused to take responsibility for the event.
The Wilson-Huuge Complaint
In April 2018, a large class action lawsuit called “the Wilson-Huuge complaint” was lodged against several online casino and slots operators including Huuge.
The lawsuit involves several professionals claiming that gaming operators such as Huuge are considered illegal under state law in Washington, and should be taken to task for enticing gamblers.
More information about the Wilson-Huge suit can be found at ClassAction.org.
David Williams, Gambling Addict
In a lawsuit that was heavily publicised in casino and slots media, a man named David Williams sued his local casino after alleging that they helped his gambling addiction along; among other things, the suit wanted damages paid for the money he’d lost playing slots, and compensation for the additional trauma it caused to his life.
Gambling addiction is a massive problem all over the world, though the courts ruled that casinos have no responsibility in protecting people from themselves when there are many resources out there on responsible gambling and gambling addiction.
The Tale of Harry Kavakas
David Williams isn’t the only losing gambler who has tried to turn the tables on his local casino; Harry Kavakas, an Australian gambler and businessman made headlines when he sued after losing millions playing slots and other games. His suit alleged that the initiatives offered by the casino (including the use of a private casino jet) had contributed to his complete demise.
Of course, the ruling from the court was the same as David Williams: officially, the casino had no part in indulging his gambling addiction – at least not directly.
So, what do you do with your life if you lose everything while gambling and become a headline when you sue the casino and lose the suit? News from the Gold Coast Bulletin report that he’s back to his day job as an estate agent.