The news that a New Jersey man was suing not only sweepstakes company High 5 Casino but Apple and Google for illegal gambling made headlines when it was filed in November.
However, after nearly five months with minimal progress the man behind the case, Julian Bargo, has filed a notice of voluntary dismissal without prejudice with the New Jersey District Court.
The filing came the day before the defendants were set to submit their motions to dismiss in the case.
Bargo claimed Google and Apple complicit in gambling
In his suit, Bargo claimed he lost over $1,000 on sites ranging from High 5 to WowVegas. He also alleged that these sweepstakes casino brands amounted to illegal gambling.
Apple and Google were named in the suit and levied with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizatins (RICO) charges because Bargo said they were complicit in these sweepstakes casino industry by listing them in their app stores and facilitating payments through their payment services.
Since the lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice, Bargo does have the right to pursue the legal action again in the future should he choose to do so.
High 5 recently hit with $25 million judgment
The suit is the latest in a string of high profile cases that draw headlines for alleging sweepstakes casinos are in violation of the law that are either dismissed or sent to arbitration. What is different about this case is that Bargo withdrew the suit himself.
For High 5, it is arguably a much more desirable result than a recent decision out of Washington. Last month the Western Washington District Court ruled that High 5 Casino needed to pay nearly $25 million to customers in the state in a class action lawsuit alleging the site was an illegal online gambling site.
Washington is a state with extremely strict and explicit definitions about what constitutes illegal online gambling in the state.
After the decision, the lawyer for the plaintiff pointed the finger at none other than Google and Apple as the next targets for legislation.
“Big Tech isn’t just standing by—they’re cashing in,” said Todd Logan, partner at Edelson PC. “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.”
