{"id":294919,"date":"2023-10-22T03:00:12","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T08:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=294919"},"modified":"2023-10-23T21:40:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T02:40:10","slug":"mao-gaming-suing-penn-over-use-of-streak-blackjack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mao-gaming-suing-penn-over-use-of-streak-blackjack\/","title":{"rendered":"MAO Gaming Sues Ameristar Casino in Colorado Alleging Trademark Infringement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Table games supplier MAO Gaming has filed a lawsuit against Penn Entertainment\u2019s (NASDAQ: PENN) Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk, Colo. It claims the operator infringed on trademarks pertaining to MAO\u2019s STREAK blackjack game.<\/p>\n

\"GLPI
Penn Entertainment’s Ameristar in Black Hawk, Colo. The venue is being sued by a gaming supplier alleging trademark infringement. A(Image: Visit Denver<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As of Dec. 1, 2001, Mississippi-based MAO held the rights to the STREAK variation of blackjack, which was patent-protected. Put simply, STREAK is a side bet on standard blackjack tables that allows bettors to wager how many times they\u2019ll be dealt blackjack. Typically, blackjack is the most popular table game in Las Vegas and regional casinos.<\/p>\n

In a filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the counsel of MAO contended that Ameristar Black Hawk \u201cadvertised, promoted, offered, and ultimately profited from the unauthorized and unlicensed use of MAO\u2019s marks.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

“After almost fifteen (15) years of annually-renewed licensed use at Ameristar Casino Black Hawk, PENN knowingly, intentionally, and willfully ignored its contractual obligations and infringed on MAO\u2019s iconic STREAK\u00ae brand by facilitating unlicensed STREAK\u00ae blackjack table games \u2013 one of the most successful casino table games ever developed,\u201d according to the legal document.<\/p>\n

The filing added that MAO believes Penn allowed the infringement of STREAK trademarks to continue unchecked for two years at the Black Hawk Casino Hotel. MAO\u2019s suit emerged about two weeks after a card counter<\/a> from Georgia sued the venue for illegal detainment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

STREAK \u2018Exclusive Property\u2019<\/h2>\n

Counsel for MAO also noted that with each annual renewal Penn committed to with the gaming supplier, the contracts specifically stated STREAK was the \u201cexclusive property\u201d of the supplier.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the Colorado Casino Gaming Commission (CCGC) mandated that gaming operators seeking to feature the blackjack side bets needed to be licensed by MAO and had to offer the game in accordance with the patent holder\u2019s rules.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThese circumstances legitimize the categorization of Ameristar\/PENN\u2019s actions as willful and intentional,\u201d added counsel for MAO in the court filing. \u201cThis begins with the fact PENN\u2019s business is casino gaming operations; it continues with the fact that Ameristar\/PENN agreed via contract that all STREAK\u00ae products were the exclusive property of MAO, which they had no right to use without a license; it continues with the fact that Ameristar\/PENN stipulated via contract that if they utilized STREAK\u00ae without a license, their conduct constituted willful infringement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CCGC clarifies how casino operators can offer STREAK at their blackjack tables.<\/p>\n

\u201cSTREAK may be played only on tables displaying the approved STREAK table layout and equipped with one approved STREAK button for each player’s position,\u201d noted the regulator. \u201cThe button shall have distinctive markings as specified by MAO Gaming and shall display the name or logo of the retail licensee offering the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

MAO Implies Penn Knew it Was Infringing<\/h2>\n

In the legal document, MAO claimed that given the nature of its contracts with Ameristar Black Hawk, it\u2019d be \u201cimpossible\u201d for the operator and\/or the venue not to know the ability to generate revenue from STREAK rested solely with procuring a license from MAO.<\/p>\n

PENN\u2019s conduct required it to engage in deceptive practices with the Colorado Gaming Commission and make inaccurate market statements about the alleged regulatory compliance of its casino operations. PENN\u2019s statements regarding its core business endeavors were disclosed to the market under its reporting and transparency obligations as a publicly traded company,\u201d according to the filing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While it\u2019s the smallest town in Colorado, Black Hawk is home to the state\u2019s largest gaming scene \u2014 one that ranks as the 10th-largest and as the fastest-growing in the U.S. As such, there are investment implications because four Black Hawk operators are publicly traded companies. In alphabetical order, they are Bally\u2019s (NYSE: BALY), Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ: CZR<\/a>), Monarch Casino & Resort (NASDAQ: MCRI), and Penn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Table games supplier MAO Gaming has filed a lawsuit against Penn Entertainment\u2019s (NASDAQ: PENN) Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk, Colo. It claims the operator infringed on trademarks pertaining to MAO\u2019s STREAK blackjack game. As of Dec. 1, 2001, Mississippi-based MAO held the rights to the STREAK variation of blackjack, which was patent-protected. Put simply, STREAK […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":169249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,60,86438,86431],"tags":[81897,81928,86457,87734],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMAO Gaming Suing Penn Over Use Of STREAK Blackjack<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"MAO Gaming suing Ameristar Black Hawk over STREAK blackjack trademark infringement.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mao-gaming-suing-penn-over-use-of-streak-blackjack\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MAO Gaming Suing Penn Over Use Of STREAK Blackjack\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MAO Gaming suing Ameristar Black Hawk over STREAK blackjack trademark infringement.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mao-gaming-suing-penn-over-use-of-streak-blackjack\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-22T08:00:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-24T02:40:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/amstar.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Todd Shriber\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@etfgodfather\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Todd Shriber\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mao-gaming-suing-penn-over-use-of-streak-blackjack\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mao-gaming-suing-penn-over-use-of-streak-blackjack\/\",\"name\":\"MAO Gaming Suing Penn Over Use Of STREAK Blackjack\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mao-gaming-suing-penn-over-use-of-streak-blackjack\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mao-gaming-suing-penn-over-use-of-streak-blackjack\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/amstar.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-22T08:00:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-24T02:40:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/f4cecf70a5032bc4e60eb73fc86d4a85\"},\"description\":\"MAO Gaming suing Ameristar Black Hawk over STREAK blackjack trademark infringement.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mao-gaming-suing-penn-over-use-of-streak-blackjack\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mao-gaming-suing-penn-over-use-of-streak-blackjack\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/mao-gaming-suing-penn-over-use-of-streak-blackjack\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/amstar.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/amstar.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"Penn Entertainment's Ameristar in Black Hawk, Colo. Shares of the operator are being removed a mid-cap index and joining a small-cap gauge. 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