Suit Filed Against Sportingbet
22nd November, 2007
RotoPlay, a Pennsylvania-based fantasy games company, has announced that it has filed a lawsuit against British online gambling company Sportingbet plc. They have alleged copyright infringement and unfair competition relating to two of their “sports lottery” games.
RotoPlay’s Houston-based legal team are suggesting that Sportingbet copied the lottery games and is offering the games on its family of sites, also suggesting they are original and created by themselves. RotoPlay has offered these unique sports contests since 2001, with the “Football Lottery” and “Baseball Lottery” the two games at the centre of the lawsuit.
The games work by participants selecting six players from a choice of 54, who they believe will score the most fantasy points in that particular week, worked out from the actual players’ performances in that week. The games provide cash prizes for participants correctly choosing the top four, five or six top scorers of the week.
The President of RotoPlay said of the case: "Sportingbet copied all of our lottery games, unique scoring system, game rules, HTML code and tie-breaker information verbatim," claims Korey Gardner, President of RotoPlay, Inc. "It’s very shocking and disappointing to see a billion dollar, publicly traded company such as Sportingbet, so blatantly and willfully steal our games. What is most puzzling to us is that Sportingbet decided to steal the games even after talking with us for months about licensing our games and using them legally."
The fantasy sports industry is hugely popular in North America, with approximately 15 to 19 million participants and growing at 7-10% each year. Last year it generated more than $1.5billion, and looks set continue this trend after being specifically excluded from the recently-passed Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
