Amazon Challenges Lawsuit over Social Casino Apps

While different states across the US, including Washington, have designated social casino apps illegal, such applications continue to raise billions in revenue annually. Often provided for free, those applications deliver an experience similar to casino-style gambling. Yet, while social casino apps do not feature cash payouts, users can pay real money to prolong their play with virtual chips.

In November, a Nevada resident, represented by Edelson PC, filed a lawsuit against Amazon, the leading online retailer and cloud services provider, over social casino apps. The lawsuit alleged the company accumulated earnings north of billions by running an “illegal internet gambling enterprise,” delivering social casinos that offer entertainment similar to casino gambling. Now, as announced by Reuters, Amazon is challenging the lawsuit, asking a judge in Seattle to freeze the case.

Lawyers of the leading online retailer requested the case that challenges social casino apps to be put on hold, pending the outcome of other similar cases against Facebook, Apple and Google with the appeals court in the US. According to the recent report, those cases are expected to gain traction in April or May, with rulings anticipated by the end of 2024.

Amazon’s defense also spoke about an existing law in the US that protects online platforms from claims and lawsuits against them over content provided by third-party companies. The aforementioned law is Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which reads: “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.”

Social Casino Apps Offer Entertainment Similar to Casino Gambling

The case against Amazon represents the eighth such lawsuit by the famous law firm Edelson. The company focuses on class action and mass lawsuits. Edelson represents Steven Horn in the lawsuit against Amazon. The legal claim alleges Amazon “owns and operates an app store where users can gamble on their mobile devices in Vegas-Style social casino apps.”

Additionally, the lawsuit highlighted the growing popularity of social casino apps. According to the legal claim, social casino apps are available via internet browsers, tablets and smartphones, delivering experiences similar to slot gambling for customers anytime and anywhere.