High 5 Games subject to $25m lawsuit in Washington state

Online casino operator High 5 Games has been ordered by a Washington court to pay a total of $24.9m in damages back to consumers who lost money on its site, in a first-of-its-kind ruling in the US.  

Following the conclusion of the case, the operator has been ordered to pay a total of $18m in damages to a class of Washington players who lost money gambling on the site – after an additional trial ruled High 5’s social casino offering illegal under state laws last year.  

The jury in the case concluded that the class and named plaintiff had suffered almost $18m in damages, with High 5 Games also subject to an additional charge of $7m in ‘enhanced’ damages.  

Indeed, the evidence presented by the court highlighted that High 5 Games employees in Washington had targeted high-spending users, referring to them as ‘whales’ suffering from gambling addictions, with some players in the class having lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.  

High 5 Games refuted claims of wrongdoing to the jury, stating that it believed any amount of damages presented could not be evidenced by the class.  

Good to know: Additional online casino operators have chosen to settle out of court with law firm Edelson & Tousley – collectively paying over $650m

Commenting on the verdict, Todd Logan, partner at Edelson PC said, “This verdict is a milestone, but it’s only the beginning. Some of our clients lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to their gambling addictions here, and big tech cannot be allowed to continue to profit off of these devastating addictions. We will continue fighting to ensure big tech answers for its role in enabling and profiting from illegal gambling.” 

This latest news comes off the back of an eventful year for High 5 Games, which saw the company introduce Thunderkick to the US market in May, as well as expanding its offerings via Caesars Digital into West Virginia soon after.  

Will Underwood

Visit Profile

Players trust our reporting due to our commitment to unbiased and professional evaluations of the iGaming sector. We track hundreds of platforms and industry updates daily to ensure our news feed and leaderboards reflect the most recent market shifts. With nearly two decades of experience within iGaming, our team provides a wealth of expert knowledge. This long-standing expertise enables us to deliver thorough, reliable news and guidance to our readers.