Supplier Scientific Games has been ordered to pay $315m to a group of rival companies after losing a US antitrust case.
A Chicago jury ruled Scientific Games owes damages of $105m, but this fee was automatically tripled under US antitrust law.
The Las Vegas-based supplier is deemed to have initiated a frivolous patent lawsuit to help it control the market for automatic card-shufflers at casinos.
In 2012, Shuffle Tech, Aces Up Gaming and Poydras-Talrick Holdings joined forces to compete in the automatic card-shuffler market. However, a lawsuit was filed alleging Shuffle Tech had used Scientific Games’ patented technology unauthorised.
In response, the rival firms argued that the US Patent and Trademark Office had been misled by overly broad and invalid patents, culminating in this week’s verdict.
Scientific Games spokeswoman Susan Cartwright said in a statement: “The company believes the jury reached the wrong result and will seek review of both the finding of liability and the damages award both before the trial court and if necessary on appeal.”
Scientific Games has recently been involved in the implementation of sports betting in the US and recently signed a partnership with operator Caesars Entertainment, covering New Jersey and Mississippi.
