Maryland Live sues MGM over VIP list
Maryland Live Casino has started legal proceedings against MGM National Harbor over claims its rival surreptitiously obtained its high-roller list.
Maryland Live, located in Baltimore, contends that MGM pursued and hired three of its former employees, and persuaded them to hand over confidential client lists despite signing 'No Hire/Non-Compete agreements' during their previous employment.
The $1.2 billion (€1.1 billion) MGM National Harbor resort, which is just 40 miles from Maryland Live, is set to open before the end of 2016.
The case was filed in the US District Court in Baltimore. Maryland Live is owned by Cordish Global Gaming Group.
The lawsuit states that MGM “aided and abetted” in the scheme, and hired the individuals based on their knowledge of the VIP gambling crowd in the Washington, DC, and Baltimore metro.
In a statement MGM responded: “Although it is our normal practice to not comment on pending litigation, this lawsuit amounts to nothing more than a thinly disguised attempt to stifle the competition Maryland Live expects from MGM’s National Harbor.
“Maryland Live is resorting to threatening its current and former employees with unenforceable non-compete provisions in hopes of preventing people from working in other states regardless of whether their new employment would compete with Maryland Live.”
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