Australia: Court Denies Aristocrat’s Request to Probe Plaintiffs’ Gambling Disorders

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Judge denies early inquiry into plaintiffs’ gambling health.
Aristocrat sought sensitive info ahead of mediation.
Ruling protects vulnerable users from self-diagnosis risk.

A federal judge in Australia has refused a request by gaming giant Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. to question class-action members about whether they have a gambling disorder, saying the move would lead to “self?diagnosis” and yield unreliable results.

The decision, handed down this week in the Federal Court of Australia in Melbourne, deals a blow to Aristocrat’s attempt to access sensitive personal information from individuals who spent real money playing social casino apps.

Illegal Gambling?

The class action accuses the Australian gambling giant, along with its subsidiaries Product Madness and Big Fish Games, of breaching the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. The plaintiffs argue that the company’s social casino apps simulate online casino games and allow users to spend real money via in-app purchases. Online casino gaming is illegal in Australia.

The suit covers Australians who spent real money on in?app purchases in social casino titles such as Heart of Vegas, Big Fish Casino, and Epic Diamond Slots between Dec. 22, 2017, and Dec. 12, 2024.

Lawyerly reported last month that plaintiffs argued the request was “unfair” and could prompt “vulnerable members to self?diagnose” their gambling behaviors. The court sided with that position, noting that forcing members to reveal potential gambling disorders before mediation could pressure them unjustly and undermine the process.