A class action lawsuit has been brought to litigation in the USA against Apple Inc. the multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services. The plaintiff is saying Apple Inc. has made a profit from providing illegal gaming apps created by Zynga.
Attorney Kiesha Lowe has taken on the case against the tech giant on behalf of a group of parties that feel cheated. AppleInsider documents outline how the plaintiffs think that the gambling apps in the Apple App Store are breaking the law in a number of US jurisdictions where online gambling has been prohibited. The lawyer is accusing Apple of making a profit from the sale of the apps revealing it has received a commission for each sale at the Apple App Store.
Zynga is the focus of the class action lawsuit. Zynga has numerous games in the App Store that are concerned entirely around gaming. For example, the company offers Wizard of Oz Slots, Game of Thrones Slots, and others. Utilizing these apps, players can play virtual slots but cannot cash out. Although players cannot convert their accrued credits into cash, there is still an exchange of currency involved in the apps. A player can buy extra credits through in-app purchases, known as micro transactions. Kiesha Lowe claims that the apps violate the gambling laws in the jurisdictions of Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
The legality of so called social casinos is different in the European domains where it is understood that all the games offered including casino type games are free to play. It is possible to buy extra credits but the purchase only entitles the player to play more rounds of the same game.
