Big Fish Gaming to Retool GamesĪs part of their settlement agreement, Big Fish Gaming has agreed to bolster its self-exclusion options for players who wish to stay away from their games. Several lawsuits have popped up in the wake of the federal appeals court’s decision. The settlement could bring about significant changes to how the casual games market works in the US, as in-app purchases are popular among the largest games to drive revenue. In 2018, Churchill Downs sold the company to Aristocrat for around $1 billion.Ĭhurchill Downs is on the hook for $124 million, with Aristocrat footing the remaining $31 million. Churchill Downs bought Big Fish Games in an $885 million deal in 2014. The suit names Kater, Suzie Kelly, and Manasa Thimmegowda as plaintiffs, and Aristocrat Technologies and Churchill Downs as defendants. In 2018, however, a federal appeals court overruled this decision, stating that Big Fish Casino was in violation of Washington state’s online gambling laws. Kater’s suit was initially dismissed by a US District Court judge in 2016.
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Kater’s suit argued that these chips represented “ something of value”, and that selling them for money is an instance of illegal online gambling.īig Fish Games operated Big Fish Casino and offered a series of purportedly free casino games that used virtual chips which players can earn by playing and winning, or purchasing them for real cash. Kater’s suit contended that Big Fish Gaming ran afoul of Washington state law due to the company’s game Big Fish Casino offering virtual chips in exchange for real cash. The dispute arose in 2015 after Cheryl Kater sued Big Fish Gaming’s parent company during that time, Churchill Downs. The judge’s approval means that the owners of the Seattle-based Big Fish Games-both past and present-will pay $155 million to recoup the payments made by their users over the years toward the company’s social casino games. A self-exclusion policy will also be created by the studio and added to its gaming options.A judge has granted preliminary approval for the two class action settlements currently pending against the Seattle-based social casino company Big Fish Games. Part of the settlement included Big Fish changing the mechanics of casino games so players do not have to purchase virtual chips to keep playing. Churchill will pay the larger portion of the settlement charges.īefore any payment could be made, the settlement had to be approved by the US Federal District Court in the Western District of Washington. Aristocrat bought Big Fish from Churchill Downs in 2018 for $1.3 billion. The remaining $124 million will be paid by the former owner of the social game developer. This ruling was provided in response to a 2015 lawsuit and then the second lawsuit was issued after the judgement by Smith.Īristocrat will pay $31 million as part of the settlement. Smith ruled that the virtual chips were considered a thing of value and purchasing them fell in line with illegal online gambling under the state law. Players are provided a set number of virtual chips during signup and once they are gone, they must purchase more to continue playing. Games include various slot titles, poker, and blackjack.
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Each of these offerings are social casinos.īig Fish creates social casino games that are free to download and play with virtual chips. Players in Washington filed the lawsuits, arguing that Big Fish was able to illegally profit from people who played games at its Big Fish Casino, Epic Diamond Slots, and Jackpot Magic Slots platforms. The company recently received good news from the United States district court as two lawsuits against Big Fish had settlements reached and these agreements can finally be completed. Aristocrat Leisure is a slot machine manufacturer located in Australia that also offers online gaming via its social company Big Fish Games.