Illegal blackjack payout claims
Blackjack players at the MGM Springfield have filed a lawsuit against the casino regarding certain table games. The class action suit claims that the casino’s blackjack payout on winning hands is less than allowed by state regulations.
This lawsuit is the second of its kind for Massachusetts. Just a few weeks ago, the Encore Boston Harbor faced a similar lawsuit regarding 6:5 blackjack payouts. Shawn Allyn is representing the MGM Springfield plaintiffs.
Lawsuit details
The new suit alleges that the MGM Springfield paid customers with odds of 6 to 5 when a blackjack was dealt. According to the claim, the state law requires that a player be paid odds of 3 to 2 when dealt a blackjack. The 3 to 2 odds would provide a larger payout to the player.
MGM Springfield says it follows state regulations for payouts. Its spokesperson Saverio Mancini said: “We comply with all Massachusetts Gaming Commission regulations and feel confident that this lawsuit will be found to have no merit.”
Plaintiffs say the 3 to 2 odds provide a larger payout to the player.
The rules set by the Gaming Commission state that winning bets will pay 1 to 1 unless a blackjack is dealt. In that case, the win will be paid at odds of 3 to 2 or 6 to 5. Odds are reportedly available at each blackjack table.
The Commission has been made aware of the lawsuit against MGM Springfield and is evaluating the details of the filing.
Encore cleared
The lawsuit against MGM Springfield is similar to one filed against the Encore Boston Harbor just a few weeks ago.
Richard Schuster filed a class action lawsuit against Encore on the same payout structure issue. The plaintiff claimed that the casino was spreading the 6 to 5 blackjack games and not following the state regulations for the tables.
According to VSO News, the Encore Boston Harbor was cleared by gaming investigators of the lawsuit’s accusations. The Gaming Commission’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) provided a report on the matter, stating that 6 to 5 is used in two different contexts at the casino.
One is in reference to a variation of blackjack, where different procedures are used for dealing cards. The second involves the payouts of a blackjack hand.
The report states that based on the first context of 6 to 5, investigators found that the casino does not have such variation games in operation. For the payouts, all blackjack tables that pay 6 to 5 have payout rules printed at the table. This places them in compliance with state regulations.