P.R. Seven Top Poker Players File Antitrust Lawsuit Against The World Poker Tour

[Louis Cypher]

Players Sue to Enjoin WPTE's Illegal Business Practices and Seek Damages
for WPTE's Wrongful Conduct

LAS VEGAS, July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, seven of the world's top
poker players filed an antitrust Complaint against WPT Enterprises, Inc.
("WPTE") in federal district court in Los Angeles. By this lawsuit,
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 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 Chris Ferguson stated as follows: "WPTE has stacked the deck
against all poker players who wish to compete in its tournaments. They are
using our names and images to sell their products without our prior consent
and without any compensation. We cannot let these wrongful actions stand.
We will prosecute this lawsuit for as long as it takes to change WPTE's
unlawful ways."
Plaintiff Annie Duke stated that: "We are bringing this action to
change the way WPTE treats players. Our goal is not just to win for
ourselves, but to set a precedent so that all players can be dealt a fair
hand."
Plaintiffs are represented by the law firm of Dewey Ballantine LLP,
whose lead counsel, Jeffrey Kessler, has successfully represented NFL, NBA,
and other players in similar antitrust suits. Mr. Kessler stated the
following: "It is now well established that the antitrust laws protect
professional athletes and other players when agreements are entered into
that restrain competition for their services. This is as true for the
business of professional poker tournaments as it is for professional
football, basketball, and other sports. Professional poker players are
entitled to a free market for their services, which will also benefit
consumers since the result will be more and higher quality poker
tournaments."
Plaintiff Greg Raymer stated that: "Our success in this lawsuit will
benefit all current and future poker players. I am proud to be part of it."
Plaintiffs are seven of the most widely recognized and successful
professional poker players in the world. Plaintiffs Howard Lederer and Phil
Gordon, for example, are two poker superstars who have won three WPT
tournaments between them. Plaintiff Chris Ferguson, perhaps the most widely
recognized poker player in the world, and Plaintiffs Joseph Hachem and Greg
Raymer, have each won the World Series of Poker ("WSOP") Main Event.
Plaintiff Annie Duke has also won a WSOP event, and is regarded as the best
and most accomplished female professional poker player in the history of
poker. Plaintiff Andrew Bloch has two WPT "Final Table" appearances.
About Dewey Ballantine LLP
Dewey Ballantine LLP, founded in 1909, is an international law firm
with more than 550 attorneys and locations in New York, Washington, D.C.,
Los Angeles, East Palo Alto, Houston, Austin, London, Warsaw, Frankfurt,
Milan, Beijing, and Rome. Through its network of offices, the firm handles
some of the largest, most complex corporate transactions, litigation and
tax matters.

[Total Square]

just think of how much wpte has added to the earning power of these folks.

i cant speak to the details of the lawsuit, but i do know that dewey ballentine is a big time firm

[pokerking]

When you play in a wpt event they don't allow you to wear logos of online gambling companies. They're not contributing to the prize fund so they have no right to make all their demands.

[clevfan]

Jul. 20, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

WPT hit with lawsuit

Poker players unite against tour organizer


By HOWARD STUTZ

GAMING WIRE

A New York-based law firm hopes to turn a group of professional poker players into the Curt Flood of their sport.

An antitrust lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Los Angeles against the operator of cable television's World Poker Tour, asking that producers no longer use the players' likenesses in conjunction with the broadcasts, video games and other World Poker Tour products.

Players competing on the World Poker Tour signed agreements several years ago with the producers allowing their likenesses to be mass-distributed.

"We believe those agreements are no longer valid," said Jeffrey Kessler, lead attorney for the players and a partner with Dewey Ballantine in New York.

The World Poker Tour, televised on the Travel Channel since 2003, is considered one of the catalysts in growing the interest in poker nationwide.

Kessler accused the World Poker Tour's producers of "price fixing" by colluding with 12 casinos to prevent players from entering tournaments unless they forfeit their rights. The casinos were not named as defendants in the lawsuit.

Kessler said he has handled similar antitrust lawsuits against the NBA and the NFL.

The seven plaintiffs include three former world champions of the World Series of Poker -- Joseph Hachem, Greg Raymer and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. Other plaintiffs were Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Phil Gordon and Andy Bloch.

Kessler said the seven players will not compete in any World Poker Tour events until the lawsuit is resolved.

Kessler said the poker players hope to obtain free agency to strike their own deals with casinos and the World Poker Tour, which brought comparisons to Major League Baseball.

Flood, an outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1960s, became one of the pivotal figures in sports labor history. He refused to accept a trade following the 1969 season, ultimately appealing his case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The legal challenge paved the way for the modern era of free agency in professional sports.

[clevfan]

Jul. 22, 2006
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

EDITORIAL: A sure sign of the big time

Poker stars get the lawyers involved


What's the surest sign that poker has reached the big time in recreational and entertainment circles? The growth of tournaments and purses? Casino investments in poker rooms? The number of televised card games? Perhaps.

But you know poker has really arrived when lawyers start fighting for a share of the pot.

A handful of professional poker players are going all-in against a leading tour -- and they're not bluffing. They allege in an antitrust lawsuit that WPT Enterprises Inc., the operator of the World Poker Tour, forces them to forfeit the rights to their likenesses before allowing them to enter tournaments. WPT Enterprises then uses those likenesses to promote products such as video games without giving poker's biggest personalities a cut.

With the World Series of Poker under way in Las Vegas, previous champions Joseph Hachem and Greg Raymer and five other pros want to void the contracts they signed with WPT Enterprises to enter previous tournaments. They don't want their own commercial endeavors competing against images of themselves that benefit only WPT.

Four or five years ago, these poker players would have donated a kidney and their firstborn to play in televised tournaments for huge purses. "All of us as poker players were degenerates until the World Poker Tour started the whole ball rolling," said 51-year-old poker professional Barry Greenstein, who is not a party in the lawsuit.

These gamblers, many of whom have agents, are getting rich off poker's runaway popularity. If they no longer want to play on the World Poker Tour under the terms of these contracts, they're certainly free to start a competing association. But that might require actual work -- beyond showing up, sitting down and playing cards, of course. And even more lawyers.

Perhaps they'd rather grind it out in back-room games again. No contingency fees there.

[Michael Cash]

Could they of snuck anymore poker puns into that press release?

MC

[stevo]

These gamblers, many of whom have agents, are getting rich off poker's runaway popularity. If they no longer want to play on the World Poker Tour under the terms of these contracts, they're certainly free to start a competing association. But that might require actual work -- beyond showing up, sitting down and playing cards, of course. And even more lawyers.

LMFAO