It’s a case that has ongoing for years, but it seems that Flutter Entertainment may have finally run out of options. The parent company of PokerStars was recently denied a motion by the Kentucky Supreme Court to reconsider a case where it was ordered to pay the state $1.3 billion in fines.
Kentucky took PokerStars to court over unlicensed online poker bets that were recorded between 2006 and 2011. The state brought out a rarely-used 18th century law, the Loss Recovery Act, allowing the courts to seize money from illegal gambling activities and demanding that perpetrators pay triple the amount lost in the form of fines.
In 2015, Kentucky ruled that residents lost $290 million in those years and, trebled, the amount to pay out would be $870 million.
Poker Stars continued to appeal this ruling over the years, and in 2018, the decision was dramatically reversed. But the state was far from giving up on such a substantial amount which had already climbed to $1.3 billion after gathering years of interest.
In December 2020, Flutter Entertainment, which had since purchased Poker Stars, was told that it had to pay the money after all, and recently was denied an appeal to rehear the litigation.
“Flutter is disappointed by the denial of its rehearing petition and continues to strongly dispute the basis of this judgment,” read a statement by Flutter.
“Together with its legal advisors, Flutter will continue to consider its position in relation to the judgment, including potentially appealing the ruling of the case to the US Supreme Court along with other legal avenues which it may pursue thereafter.”
“Flutter remains confident that any amount ultimately paid to resolve this matter will be a limited portion of the reinstated judgment. Further announcements will be made in due course as and when appropriate.”
Flutter Entertainment can still try and take the case to the US Appeals Court but the chances are slim that the higher court will even agree to hear the appeal.
