A Washington jury finds High 5 Games's social casino was illegal gambling
Rick Larsen sued PTT, LLC, doing business as High 5 Games, LLC, and High 5 Entertainment, LLC, in 2018 under Washington's Recovery of Money Lost at Gambling Act, arguing the company's High 5 Casino and High 5 Vegas apps were illegal online gambling disguised as social casino games. A federal court found in 2024 that the apps were illegal gambling, and a jury awarded $24.9 million in February 2025, the first damages verdict of its kind against a social casino operator. A class settlement covering Washington players was granted preliminary approval in August 2026 and awaits final approval.
- Year
- 2025
- Where
- United States
- Outcome
- Ongoing
- Reported loss
- $18.0 million
- Victims
- Not stated in the sources
- Schemes
- Sweepstakes casino scams
- Last reviewed
- 2026-10-10
The facts, as recorded
- Rick Larsen filed suit in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, case number 3:18-cv-05275, against PTT, LLC, doing business as High 5 Games, LLC, and High 5 Entertainment, LLC.
- The complaint alleged violations of Washington's Recovery of Money Lost at Gambling Act (RCW 4.24.070) and the state's Consumer Protection Act, over the company's High 5 Casino and High 5 Vegas mobile apps.
- In June 2024, the court ruled that High 5's social casino apps constituted illegal gambling under Washington law, because the apps' virtual chips were a 'thing of value' obtained partly through real-money purchase.
- On February 7, 2025, a jury awarded $24,940,366 in total damages: approximately $18 million in actual damages (money players lost) plus roughly $7 million in enhanced statutory damages under the Act.
- Evidence presented at trial described High 5 employees using the term 'whales' for users who lost large sums, and at least one instance where a player who disclosed a gambling addiction and asked to have her account restricted was instead sent free coins to keep playing.
- A class settlement covering Washington residents who purchased virtual coins in High 5 Casino or High 5 Vegas between April 9, 2014 and October 1, 2022 received preliminary court approval on August 14, 2026, with a claims deadline of November 13, 2026 and a final-approval hearing scheduled for December 14, 2026.
- Plaintiffs' attorney Todd Logan of Edelson PC said some clients 'lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to their gambling addictions' on the platform; co-counsel Cecily Jordan of Tousley Brain Stephens said the verdict 'sends a clear message' to social casinos 'that exploit consumers under the guise of social gaming.'
Why this case matters
Every other case on this page is a criminal prosecution of a storefront-era sweepstakes cafe. This one is civil, against a mobile app, and it produced the first jury damages verdict against a social casino operator anywhere in the country, built on a Washington-specific law most states do not have: a statute that lets a person who loses money on illegal gambling simply sue to get it back.
Seven years from filing to verdict
Rick Larsen filed this case in 2018. The court did not even rule that High 5’s apps were illegal gambling until June 2024, nearly six years later, and the jury did not award damages until February 2025. High 5 Games continued operating throughout. That gap is itself a documented feature of why civil litigation moves far more slowly than the forfeitures described elsewhere on this page.
The “whale” evidence
The trial record described internal use of the word “whales” for users who lost large sums, and at least one instance in which a player who told the company she was addicted and asked to have her account restricted was instead sent free coins, encouragement to keep playing rather than to stop.
The caveat
The jury’s $24.9 million verdict is a real, entered finding, not merely an allegation; a federal court had already separately ruled the underlying games were illegal gambling before damages were decided. What is not yet final is the resulting class settlement: it received only preliminary court approval in August 2026, and the scheduled final-approval hearing had not yet occurred as of this page’s last review, so the outcome here is recorded as ongoing rather than settled until that hearing concludes.
Sources
- High 5 Games Social Casino Ordered to $25 Million in Damages to Washington State Players. Casino.org. Accessed 2026-10-10. Supports: The plaintiff and defendant names, the court, the 2018 filing date, the June 2024 illegal-gambling ruling, the February 2025 verdict and its $24.9 million breakdown, the governing statutes, and the Big Fish Games comparison.
- Washington Jury Orders High 5 Games to Pay Nearly $25 Million in Landmark Social Casino Lawsuit. CasinoBeats. Accessed 2026-10-10. Supports: The exact $24,940,366 verdict figure, the 'whale' targeting evidence and the account-restriction-then-free-coins detail, and the Todd Logan and Cecily Jordan quotes.
- Up to $30M High 5 Games Settlement Ends Lawsuit Over Gambling App Purchases. ClassAction.org. Accessed 2026-10-10. Supports: The case number, the preliminary settlement approval date, the class period and claims deadline, the final-approval hearing date, and the payment structure.