Baltimore is hauling six offshore “social casino” platforms into court, accusing them of running illegal online gambling operations inside city limits and quietly draining millions of dollars from residents.
The lawsuit targets some of the biggest names in the social casino world: Chumba Casino and LuckyLand (VGW), McLuck Casino, Pulsz Casino, Stake.us, High 5 Games, and Fortune Coins. City lawyers say these apps dress up real-money gambling as cartoonish games, making it look harmless while allegedly skirting Maryland’s licensing, tax, and consumer-protection rules and making it easy for minors and young people to log on and play.
According to the complaint filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court and posted by DiCello Levitt, the companies behind the apps are largely foreign-owned, incorporated in Malta, Cyprus, Estonia, and Canada. The corporate defendants are identified as VGW Holdings Ltd. (doing business as Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots); B2Services OU (McLuck Casino); Yellow Social Interactive Ltd. (Pulsz); Sweepsteaks Ltd. (Stake.us); PTT, LLC (High 5 Games/High 5 Entertainment); and Blazesoft Ltd. (Fortune Coins). The filing says these operators intentionally pushed their platforms into Maryland’s stream of commerce and pulled in millions from Baltimore consumers…