A US federal judge has rejected Apple, Google, and Meta’s requests to dismiss lawsuits that accuse them of promoting illegal gambling through casino-style apps on their platforms.

The ruling, issued by Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, allows most consumer protection claims against the companies to proceed, except those based on California law.

Plaintiffs allege that Apple’s App Store, Google’s Play Store, and Meta’s Facebook promoted and profited from apps that simulate slot machine gambling, collecting an estimated US$2 billion in commissions.

The companies argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects them from liability for third-party content, but the judge found this did not extend to payment processing for the apps.

Davila said the importance of the legal questions involved justifies an immediate appeal to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

The lawsuits were filed in 2021 in the Northern District of California.

🔗 Source: Reuters

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