Matthew Joyce, a North Carolina resident, has filed a Corrected Amended Complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California against ARB Gaming – which operates under the name Modo.us – along with Affirm, Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Apple, Amazon.com and unnamed defendants.
The complaint alleges that ARB Gaming exploited Joyce's documented disabilities during a nine-month period of psychosis, during which the platform allegedly elevated him to its highest VIP tier – "Black Diamond" – and offered gifts, incentives and promotional offers to encourage continued gambling activity.
The lawsuit further claims that ARB Gaming manipulated game outcomes and misrepresented Return to Player (RTP) percentages.
Forensic analysis cited in the complaint suggests Joyce's actual RTP was approximately 47%, well below the advertised range of 84-95%. The platform allegedly inflated this figure by counting Joyce's own deposits as winnings.
Lending platform Affirm is accused of issuing 46 high-interest loans totalling $11,799.55 to Joyce, with 44 reportedly directed toward ARB Gaming. Eighteen of those loans, totalling $5,584.82, were allegedly approved within a 48-hour window.
Goldman Sachs, Apple and Amazon are each named for allegedly facilitating ARB Gaming's operations in various capacities, including reversing dispute rulings, processing high-volume gambling transactions without intervention and enabling the circumvention of anti-gambling gift card policies.
The lawsuit, filed by Mack Law Firm, seeks more than $1.6m in compensatory damages, alongside punitive damages, restitution and injunctive relief.
Violations alleged include breaches of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California's Unruh Civil Rights Act.
The case arrives amid broader industry moves around player protection. The Arizona Department of Gaming recently launched a free, self-paced responsible gambling training initiative for both residents and industry workers, while bet365 became the latest major operator to ban credit card deposits for US customers, joining FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM in a growing industry trend toward tighter responsible gambling measures.
Return-to-player (RTP) percentages are a key transparency metric in online gambling, indicating the expected long-term payout to players, but actual short-term outcomes can vary significantly
