Illinois Resident Contemplates Mass Legal Action Against WOW Vegas
In a recent development, Illinois resident Marlena Wieseman has filed a class-action lawsuit against MW Services Ltd., the operator of WOW Vegas, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. The lawsuit alleges that WOW Vegas is operating an illegal online casino under the guise of a "free-play" social casino, violating Illinois state gambling laws.
According to the lawsuit, WOW Vegas' Sweeps Coins system effectively facilitates real-money gambling. The plaintiff argues that Sweeps Coins are essentially equivalent to money because their value is tied 1:1 to the U.S. dollar and can be redeemed for cash prizes.
The lawsuit further claims that WOW Vegas uses a misleading "free-play" model to evade gambling regulations while allowing real-money wagering. This is part of a growing wave of class actions against sweepstakes casinos nationwide, with this being the 49th known pending case and the fourth in Illinois.
In addition, the lawsuit alleges that WOW Vegas uses deceptive marketing practices. Marlena Wieseman is seeking a refund of her $10,000 in losses from WOW Vegas, as well as class-action certification, restitution, and a ruling that WOW Vegas' arbitration clause and class-action waiver are unenforceable due to the illegal gambling claims.
Interestingly, the lawsuit was not filed by a legal professional but by Richard Janvrin, a sports coverage journalist who entered the iGaming space in 2018. Janvrin has covered various aspects of iGaming, including news, reviews, bonuses/promotions, sweepstakes casinos, and legal issues. Janvrin graduated from the University of New Hampshire and started his professional sports coverage career in 2015.
As of now, no court rulings on the merits have been issued, and the case remains pending. Given precedents in sweepstakes lawsuits, issues such as jurisdiction, enforceability of arbitration clauses, and potential settlements may influence the case trajectory, but no resolution has been reported yet.
[1] Source: Law360.com, "49th Sweepstakes Casino Class Action Filed In Illinois" [2] Source: GamblingCompliance.com, "Illinois Resident Files New Class Action Against WOW Vegas" [3] Source: OnlinePokerReport.com, "WOW Vegas Faces Class Action Lawsuit in Illinois"
- Despite not being a legal professional, sports coverage journalist Richard Janvrin, who entered the iGaming space in 2018, has filed a class-action lawsuit against WOW Vegas, an online casino, alleging that the platform's Sweeps Coins system enables sports betting, poker, and online casino games, thereby violating Illinois state gambling laws.
- The lawsuit claims that WOW Vegas uses deceptive marketing strategies to offer a "free-play" model while allowing real-money wagering, and seeks a refund of losses, class-action certification, restitution, and a ruling that the arbitration clause and class-action waiver in WOW Vegas' terms are unenforceable due to the alleged illegal gambling activities.
