Who Would Be Eligible to File a Claim?
The lawsuit alleges that Amazon profited from social casino apps distributed through its Appstore by processing in-app purchases and taking a commission from each transaction.
Under the proposed settlement, people in the US who purchased virtual chips through eligible social casino apps downloaded from the Amazon Appstore between Nov. 10, 2019, and Nov. 10, 2025, could submit claims.
The agreement covers purchases across more than 200 apps from 32 developers. The companies named in the filing include Product Madness, Scopely, DoubleU Games and SpinX Games.
Those purchases form the basis of the proposed $201.4 million judgment.
How the Litigation Trust Would Work
Amazon would transfer its rights against the app developers to the Edelson PC Amazon Social Casino Litigation Trust.
The trust would then seek to recover the amounts allocated to the apps covered by the settlement. It could do so through agreements with participating developers or further legal action against companies that decline to join.
Money recovered by the trust would be distributed to eligible players who submit successful claims.
Amazon’s direct payment would be limited to $2.5 million for the cost of notifying potential claimants, processing claims and administering the settlement.
Developers Could Join the Settlement or Face Further Claims
Developers would have 90 days after final approval to join the agreement.
Those that participate would pay 80% of the amount allocated to their apps. In return, they would receive protection from future claims covered by the settlement and permission to use alternative payment processors for three years instead of Amazon’s standard billing system.
Developers that decline would not receive those protections. The litigation trust could pursue them for the full amount allocated to their apps.
The filing says this structure is intended to encourage developers to resolve their allocated claims voluntarily rather than fight separate legal cases.
Participating Apps Would Have to Change Their Player Controls
The proposed settlement also sets operating requirements for participating apps.
Players would have to be allowed to continue playing after running out of virtual chips without making another purchase or waiting for free credits. Participating apps would also need to introduce self-exclusion tools, spending controls and options for players to suspend or permanently close their accounts.
Amazon would agree to remove participating apps that fail to implement the required changes.
Player Payments Would Depend on What the Trust Recovers
The proposed $201.4 million judgment does not represent money already available for distribution.
The litigation trust would first have to recover funds from the developers. Eligible players would then need to file claims, with payments based on their verified spending.
Further distributions could be made if the trust recovered additional money later.
Court Approval Is Still Required
Apple, Google and Meta are defending similar lawsuits concerning their roles in distributing social casino apps or processing payments. The unusual structure proposed in the Amazon case may therefore be relevant to how those companies and plaintiffs approach their own disputes.
Amazon continues to deny wrongdoing. Approval of the settlement would resolve the class action without requiring the court to decide the underlying allegations.
Judge Lasnik must first decide whether to grant preliminary approval. Until then, the claims process and litigation trust will not begin operating.
