Free Bad Beat Jackpots?

Californian casinos have advertised their poker bad beat jackpots as free, yet some players claim otherwise. The lawsuit between them could terminate such jackpots – learn about their future here.

Several Los Angeles land-based casinos are currently being sued over the conditions of their bad beat poker jackpots. According to two poker players, Dennis Chae and Jeff Kim, the casinos falsely advertised that participation in their bad beat poker jackpots entailed no fee, yet denied them the chance to do so for free. The casinos being accused of such false advertising are the Hawaiian Gardens, The Bicycle Club, Hustler, Commerce and Hollywood Park.

Bad beat poker jackpots are a kind of consolation prize for poker players who unfortunately lose despite having a strong winning hand. The amount of the jackpot can reach in the high thousands and even exceed the original poker pot being played for. Generally, bad beat poker jackpots are funded entirely by a small rake (about $1) taken from the pot. Yet according to Californian gambling laws, such a rake is considered a fee and this makes bad beat poker jackpots unlawful “lotteries”, whereby players have the chance to win a jackpot based on them paying a participation fee.

Chae and Kim are protesting that the alleged casinos didn’t offer them the opportunity to participate in their bad beat poker jackpots without paying a fee, which was contrary to what they had advertised. They have filed their lawsuit in a Los Angeles County Superior Court, and believe that their action could become a class-action lawsuit. This is due to the fact that it lists literally thousands of California based poker players who have also been charged for participating in such bad beat poker jackpots as possible co-plaintiffs. The main goal of the lawsuit is to have all bad beat poker jackpots terminated.

Should Chae and Kim’s actions turn into a full scale class action lawsuit, not only the alleged casinos but all land-based casinos in California will have to face a rocky road with regards to their bad beat poker jackpots. It is likely that they will have to fork out millions in compensation, which, due to the current economic recession, could cause them severe issues unrelated to bad beat poker jackpots.

In response, the Managing General Partner of Bicycle Casino, Haig Kelegian, stated that players have the option of not paying the $1 fee at included poker tables simply by asking not to.