Nationwide — Emmanuel Kromah, an African American man from Florida who received over $500,000 betting on the NBA, is suing a on line casino in Cherokee, North Carolina for withholding his winnings, banning him for all times, and making him seem like a felony in a viral video.
Kromah positioned a authorized sports activities wager at Harrah’s Cherokee On line casino Resort in February 2024. He picked the Boston Celtics to win the NBA championship. When the Celtics received in June, his ticket turned value $500,500.
On June 30, Kromah traveled to the on line casino to gather his prize. However as a substitute of paying him, on line casino workers allegedly handled him with hostility. Workers refused the payout, accused him of fraud, and referred to as safety to escort him out. Police had been additionally concerned.
In keeping with WCNC, a video displaying Kromah being faraway from the on line casino later went viral, gaining tens of millions of views. He says the footage made it seem like he was being arrested and severely harmed his popularity, particularly within the sports activities betting group.
Kromah believes the incident was racially motivated. Although the on line casino ultimately paid him on July 10, he has been completely banned from all Caesars-owned properties.
He and his consulting firm, FortManny, have now filed a federal lawsuit looking for greater than $75,000 in damages. The go well with accuses the on line casino of defamation, racial discrimination, and unfair enterprise practices. It asks for each compensation and punishment for the on line casino, with a jury trial requested to settle the case.