Avia class action alleges ‘human’ players are actually computer bots

Avia bots class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Andrew Pandolfi and Mandi Shawcroft filed a class action lawsuit against AviaGames Inc., its founders Vickie Yanjuan Chen and Ping Wang, and a pair of venture capitalist firms and other unnamed alleged co-conspirators. 
• Why: Pandolfi and Shawcroft claim Avia leads its users to believe they are competing against other real players for money, when, in reality, the company allegedly populates the competition with computer bots. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court. 

Avia populates its online games with computer bots to compete against unwitting human players who bet real money while under the belief they are squaring up against real people, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiffs Andrew Pandolfi and Mandi Shawcroft claim Avia users have bet hundreds of millions of dollars while thinking they were competing against real players, instead of allegedly computer bots that “can impact or control the outcomes of the games.” 

“Instead of being games of skill as advertised, Avia’s games are manipulated games of chance that amount to an unapproved gambling enterprise,” the Avia class action states. 

The plaintiffs want to represent a nationwide class of persons who have lost money playing any Avia game until the company’s “unlawful conduct and its harmful effects stop.” 

Avia’s games are allegedly ‘unapproved gambling enterprise’

The plaintiffs claim that, by allegedly manipulating their games with computer bots, Avia has turned games that were marketed as skilled into “an unapproved gambling enterprise.” 

“Recently uncovered evidence indicates that Avia has perpetuated a lie on its customers and that players are actually playing against computer bots in a stacked game of chance,” the class action states. 

The Avia games include traditional card games such as solitaire and blackjack, bingo games, pool games, bubble-popping games and Tetris/block puzzle games, according to the Avia class action.

The plaintiffs claim Avia is guilty of violating the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and California’s Unfair Competition Law and Consumer Legal Remedies Act. 

In a similar case, a class action lawsuit was filed against Amazon.com Inc. earlier this month by a consumer arguing the company profits from social casino apps that are illegal and addictive. 

Have you lost money playing an Avia game? Let us know in the comments. 

The plaintiffs are represented by Todd Logan of Edelson PC and Matthew S. Tripolitsiotis and Spencer Cox of Burns Charest LLP. 

The Avia bots class action lawsuit is Pandolfi, et al. v. AviaGames Inc., et al., Case No. 5:23-cv-05971, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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