BetMGM Settles With New Jersey Slot Tournament Player In Breach Of Contract, Fraud Case

Laurence Murk, the New Jersey man who filed a lawsuit against BetMGM after he said a new player was improperly added to an ongoing online slot tournament, was set to have his day in court May 18. Instead, Murk’s three-year odyssey ended with a confidential settlement.

Judge Benjamin Podolnick of the Superior Court for Atlantic County Monday ruled on the final motion for the case. By Wednesday, the sides had settled, and a docket entry that reads “Order Of Dismissal/Case Settled” was logged. On the “Civil Order of Disposition” form listed on the docket, the box for “partially tried” is checked, but there is no information about the nature of the settlement.

On the letter alerting counsel to the settlement, two lawyers are listed for the plaintiff while seven from three law firms are listed for the defendant.

The case dates to November 2022, about 18 months after Murk participated in an online slot contest for which the prize was $500,000 of “Casino Bonus,” per court records, as well as 100 free spins per day for one month. The winner was not to be the person with the best result, but rather, the player who wagered the most during the month.

Murk wagered about $1.5 million in his quest to win. He appeared to have been beaten out by a VIP whom BetMGM employees added to the contest as an “act of good will” because the player was a high roller at the company’s brick-and-mortar casino.

Murk sued for breach of contract and fraud, claiming BetMGM broke the rules by adding a new player to a contest that had already begun.

Settlement doesn’t provide clarity

On the 11th day of the contest, Murk logged on to play. He had been in the lead to that point but was replaced atop the leaderboard by a player using the screen name “mjbroker11969.” The player, referred to as “Broker” in court documents, on Day 11 of the contest was listed in first place with $800,000 played. Murk had played about $350,000 to that point.

Murk contacted BetMGM for an explanation. He said he was ultimately told that “Broker” thought he had been playing in the contest, but he had not been playing the correct online slots. BetMGM’s VIP department decided to transfer his play into the contest. Murk contends that adding a new player while a contest was underway was a violation of the rules. Seeking clarity, he then contacted the New Jersey Division of Gambling Enforcement, which did not offer a resolution.

Murk eventually elected to sue, and the case took three-and-a-half years to get from the initial filing to a settlement, with BetMGM twice trying to get the case dismissed. Murk was seeking $2.5 million in damages under New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act.

Because the settlement is confidential, attorneys from both sides cannot comment — and there is no clarity on whether a casino company does have the right to change the rules of a promotion after it has started.