NBC sued over Deal or No Deal
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NBC and two associated companies are being sued in the state of Georgia over claims that their popular game show Deal or No Deal encouraged viewers to participate in a lottery-style drawing that attorneys argue was illegal under Georgia law.
That’s according to a story published today in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Excerpt:
In the past, viewers were invited during each broadcast to play the “Lucky Case Game” by choosing which of six on-screen gold briefcases was the lucky case. Viewers submitted their choice on the Internet for free or through a text message that cost 99 cents. At the end of the program, the winning briefcase was revealed, and the winners were entered into a random drawing. The winner of that drawing received a prize of as much as $10,000.
Buchanan, a Columbus lawyer, called the game an illegal gambling operation. Since the 1760s, he said, Georgia law has allowed losers of such an operation to sue to get their money back.
The court should not turn a blind eye “and let NBC rake in millions of dollars” on illegal gambling, Buchanan said during arguments Tuesday held at Emory University law school.
