Silicon Valley-based developer AviaGames is facing a class-action lawsuit for allegedly deceiving users into playing against computer bots instead of real human players. The lawsuit, filed in the US Northern District of California, claims that AviaGames' popular casino apps, including Bingo Tour and Solitaire Clash, falsely represented the games as competitions against other human users. The suit alleges that AviaGames' computers populate and control the games with bots that can manipulate or control the outcome.

AviaGames' apps are among the most popular in Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play store, with Solitaire Clash, Bingo Clash, and Bingo Tour ranking as the second, fourth, and seventh apps in the casino category, respectively. The lawsuit argues that these games are actually manipulated games of chance and constitute an unapproved gambling enterprise. The plaintiffs, Andrew Pandolfi from Texas and Mandi Shawcroft from Idaho, claim to have lost thousands and hundreds of dollars, respectively, while playing AviaGames' apps. The lawsuit seeks class-action status, representing all other affected players who used the Pocket7Games app to access multiple casino games.

AviaGames, a privately held company based in Mountain View, California, recently raised funds from investors in 2021, valuing the company at $620 million. According to Sensor Tower, AviaGames has 3.5 million monthly active users. However, the company did not respond to requests for comment regarding the class-action suit.

This lawsuit comes after AviaGames faced lawsuits filed in 2021 by its rival Skillz Games for patent and copyright infringement, which exposed the alleged use of bots. Skillz Games alleges that AviaGames matches players quickly because they are actually bots, allowing it to gain market share from Skillz, where customers sometimes have to wait up to 15 minutes for a human opponent. The Skillz cases against AviaGames took an unexpected turn when AviaGames produced nearly 20,000 internal communications documents during discovery. Skillz translated these documents and claims to have found evidence of AviaGames' use of bots. In a patent case, US District Judge Beth Labson Freeman ruled that AviaGames' internal communications suggested the use of bots in its Pocket7Games platform.

Skillz has been seeking communications between AviaGames and its lawyers regarding bots. Judge Freeman recently ruled that Skillz has met the standard to review some of these communications, which AviaGames was required to submit by a specific deadline. This ruling is significant as it is rare for a plaintiff to gain access to attorney-client communications in a case.

AviaGames has faced suspicions from players for some time, with some alleging that the games are rigged. A Facebook group called "Pocket7Games/AviaGames = Scam" has been created to hold the company accountable and warn others about their alleged fraudulent practices. Some players claim that after initial wins to deceive them, they are placed in predetermined winning or losing slots. Others believe that AviaGames manipulates the outcome of group and one-on-one games by choosing the winners.

AviaGames has maintained its innocence, with a spokesperson stating that the claims against the company are baseless. The company asserts its commitment to its gamer community and its confidence in prevailing in the legal proceedings. AviaGames claims to offer a unique gaming experience with its skill-based gaming platform, highlighting the integrity of its executive team and the quality of its games.

As the class-action lawsuit unfolds, the outcome will determine whether AviaGames' practices involving bots are in violation of regulations and if the company will face repercussions for its alleged deceptive actions.