Class Action Suit Dismissed Against PokerStars

This week both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker had a victory in US district court when a class action case filed by Illinois player parent Kelly Sonnenburg was dismissed. The case sought a refund of losses based on the law that online gambling is illegal. District Court Judge David R. Herndon dismissed the claim. “This is a major victory for PokerStars and instructive for other online gaming providers facing similar attacks from plaintiffs seeking unjust windfalls,” said Rational Group's legal representative Jeff Ifrah. Illinois law permits third parties to reclaim losses related to illegal gambling from the winner provided the gambler makes a claim within six months. Judge Herndon determined that poker is a peer to peer game and that PokerStars was not considered the “winner,” but “more akin to a third party service provider that provides a forum for others to play the game.”