Poker Pros File Antitrust Lawsuit against the WPT

Thursday, 20 July 2006

Seven top poker players have filed an antitrust Complaint against WPT Enterprises, Inc. in a federal district court in Los Angeles. Plaintiffs Chris Ferguson, Andrew Bloch, Annie Duke, Phil Gordon, Joseph Hachem, Howard Lederer, and Greg Raymer seek

Seven top poker players have filed an antitrust Complaint against WPT Enterprises, Inc. in a federal district court in Los Angeles. Plaintiffs Chris Ferguson, Andrew Bloch, Annie Duke, Phil Gordon, Joseph Hachem, Howard Lederer, and Greg Raymer seek to enjoin – and seek treble and punitive damages for – WPTE's alleged continuing violations of federal and state antitrust laws.
WPTE operates the World Poker Tour (WPT), a series of televised, high stakes poker tournaments that are run by various casinos located throughout the United States and in parts of Canada and Europe.
The Complaint alleges that WPTE and the casinos have unlawfully conspired to eliminate competition for the services and intellectual property rights of top, high stakes professional poker players. In particular, the complaint alleges that the casinos have agreed with WPTE that they will not host any non-WPT televised poker tournaments. The complaint also alleges that WPTE and the casinos have conspired to fix the price and other terms and conditions under which Plaintiffs and other professional poker players are forced to give up their valuable services and intellectual property rights in order to participate in WPT tournaments.
Plaintiff Greg Raymer said: 'Our success in this lawsuit will benefit all current and future poker players. I am proud to be part of it.'



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