Sports Gambler Cannot Recover Losses in Games Facilitated by FanDuel

Illinois law allows a losing gambler to recover his/her losses to “any other person”.  After losing $100 in a fantasy game for the selection of NBA players, the losing gambler sued the winning gambler claiming a violation of the Statute.  The game had been arranged by FanDuel and was played on line.  Neither player knew the identity of the other.  The dismissal of the complaint was affirmed by the Appellate Court, which found that the statute only applied to person-to-person gambling, and that a contrary ruling would open the flood gates to numerous small claims lawsuits by losing gamblers.  Colin Dew-Becker v. Andrew Wu (Illinois Appellate, 1st dist. 2018).