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GA Court to Rule on Suit over TV Show Interactive Element

By Alyson M. Palmer
March 27, 2008

Text messages, cell phones, TV game shows, Howie Mandel ' none of these could have been contemplated by Georgia's colonial lawmakers when they first passed a law allowing gamblers to recover their losses through lawsuits. The current version of the law, found at Georgia's Office of Contract and Grant Administration Sec.13-8-3, is at the center of a case against NBC Universal and the producer of Mandel's hit show, 'Deal or No Deal,' now being considered by the Georgia Supreme Court. Hardin v. NBC Universal, S08Q0323.

The justices have been asked to interpret Georgia law for a federal judge overseeing a case filed by a group of Columbus, GA, lawyers on behalf of a proposed class of people who participated in the 'Lucky Case Game,' an interactive feature of 'Deal or No Deal.' The plaintiffs lawyers say the game ' in which viewers, like the contestants on the show, try to pick a lucky suitcase ' ran afoul of Georgia law because participants were charged 99 cents to play through their cell phones.

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