'Deal or No Deal' Gambling Lawsuit Thrown Out of Court

The Georgia Supreme Court today threw out the case of a couple who was suing the game show 'Deal or No Deal'. The case was brought on by the game show's 'Lucky Case Game'.

The lawsuit, which was brought on by Michael and Michele Hardin, claimed that the game violated the state's anti-gambling laws. The Supreme Court did not agree with the couple, and the case was thrown out.

Lawyers for NBC argued that the game was not a lottery, as the couple's lawyer was contending, but a promotional tool. The court agreed with NBC.

The couple was trying to recover money they had spent on text messages in which they were charged 99 cents in exchange for a chance to win the game. Their lawyer claimed they were entitled to get their money back because, "gambling contracts are void".

The ruling that came down from the court was that state law, "offers no avenue of recovery to plaintiffs". When the lawsuit was filed, the show temporarily stopped the at home portion of their show.

It is not known whether the game will continue now that the ruling has come down in favor of NBC. Their website gives no mention of if the game will resume. Georgia was not the only state where a complaint was filed. A lawsuit has also been filed in California.



2008-04-21