U.S. Court Refuses to Apply the “Statute of Anne” to Bookmakers

^{Pictured: Carl Nichols, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., United States}

A federal court in Washington, D.C., has dismissed a lawsuit against major U.S. sportsbook operators, including DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook, Sportico reported. The claims could have exposed the companies to hundreds of millions of dollars in potential payouts.

The lawsuit was filed by DC Gambling Recovery and was based on the so-called “Statute of Anne,” a 1710 British law later incorporated into the legislation of certain U.S. jurisdictions.

The statute allows a losing bettor to recover losses from a gambling operator. If the bettor does not file a claim, third parties may do so on their behalf to prevent such funds from being retained, in some cases with the possibility of enhanced damages.

The plaintiff sought to use this mechanism to recover losses incurred by residents of the District of Columbia. However, Judge Carl Nichols dismissed the case, noting that local lawmakers had amended the law to exclude sports betting from the scope of the outdated provision. The amendments were applied retroactively, removing the legal basis for the claim.

The ruling effectively sides with the operators, confirming that current regulation does not allow the Statute of Anne to be used against the legal sports betting market.

Earlier, Gambling Park reported that the Washington attorney general had filed a lawsuit seeking to ban Kalshi over alleged illegal betting.