The Esport Newco charge is not a criminal charge but a civil lawsuit: Esport Newco SAS and Esport Newco US Corp., two subsidiaries of French mobile gaming company Voodoo SAS, are co-defendants in a July 2024 suit brought by Skillz Platform Inc. alleging that their Blitz – Win Cash app rigs real-money tournaments with bots and algorithms while marketing the games as fair and skill-based.1GamesIndustry.biz. Skillz Suing Voodoo for Unlawful Conduct and False Advertising
Who Esport Newco Is
The two Esport Newco entities sit inside the Voodoo corporate structure. Voodoo SAS is the parent of Esport Newco SAS, which in turn is the parent of Esport Newco US Corp.; Stan Holding SAS sits above Voodoo. That structure comes from a corporate disclosure statement filed in the litigation itself.2CourtListener. Skillz Platform Inc v Voodoo SAS, 1:24-cv-04991 The Blitz – Win Cash app is marketed by Voodoo and operated through these subsidiaries in the United States, which is why they were named alongside the French parent when Skillz sued.1GamesIndustry.biz. Skillz Suing Voodoo for Unlawful Conduct and False Advertising
If you have seen “Esport Newco” on a legal filing, a news alert, or a corporate record, that is the connection: a U.S. operating subsidiary for a mobile cash-tournament app, now a defendant in federal court.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
Skillz filed the complaint on July 1, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Case No. 1:24-cv-04991, before Judge Vernon S. Broderick, with Magistrate Judge Jennifer E. Willis handling discovery. King & Spalding represents Skillz.3The Recorder. Maker of Blitz Win Cash App Sued for Alleged Mobile Gaming Fraud
The core claims are unlawful conduct and false advertising. Skillz alleges Voodoo and the Esport Newco entities market Blitz as “fair” and “skill-based” when, according to the complaint, bots and algorithms are used to fix cash tournament outcomes and control how much players win. That manipulation, Skillz argues, turns what is advertised as a contest of human skill into an illegal game of chance, because “Voodoo’s participants have little to no influence on the outcome of any game.”1GamesIndustry.biz. Skillz Suing Voodoo for Unlawful Conduct and False Advertising
Skillz also alleges the defendants falsely claim not to profit from match outcomes and falsely state the app is restricted to users 21 or older.4GamesBeat. Skillz Files Suit Against Voodoo as Part of Its Ongoing Bot Battle The company says these practices diverted its player base and cost it market share, revenue, and profits.1GamesIndustry.biz. Skillz Suing Voodoo for Unlawful Conduct and False Advertising These are civil allegations, not criminal charges, and they have not been proven.
How Voodoo and Esport Newco Have Responded
The defendants have contested the case aggressively. On September 18, 2024, they moved to dismiss the complaint outright or, alternatively, to strike the gambling-related allegations. Two days later they opposed Skillz’s motion for a preliminary injunction and expedited discovery, and they separately asked the court to stay discovery while the motion to dismiss was pending. When they waived formal service, they expressly preserved defenses including personal jurisdiction, subject-matter jurisdiction, and venue.2CourtListener. Skillz Platform Inc v Voodoo SAS, 1:24-cv-04991
Where the Case Stands
As of late June 2026, the case is still active and in discovery. The docket does not reflect a published ruling on either the motion to dismiss or the preliminary injunction, though the fact that discovery is proceeding indicates the case survived any complete dismissal.2CourtListener. Skillz Platform Inc v Voodoo SAS, 1:24-cv-04991
At a June 24, 2026, discovery conference, Judge Willis quashed a Skillz subpoena to Gaming Laboratories International seeking source code and ordered destruction of any source code already produced. She granted Skillz’s application for letters rogatory to depose a non-party, Ido Naim, described as a former or current Voodoo associate whose testimony is sought on alleged bot use in Blitz – Win Cash.5Midpage. Skillz Platform Inc v Voodoo, Order Dated June 25 2026 The court also ordered the defendants to disclose their search terms, locations searched, and custodians by July 8, 2026, after questioning the thoroughness of their document searches, and set additional discovery deadlines and oral argument for July 20, 2026.6PACER Monitor. Skillz Platform Inc v Voodoo SAS et al
Skillz has flagged the Voodoo litigation as a material risk in its own SEC filings, listing it in both its 2024 annual report and its quarterly report for the period ending March 31, 2026, without separately quantifying financial exposure.7SEC. Skillz Platform Inc, Annual Report (10-K) for Fiscal Year Ended December 31 20248OTC Markets. Skillz Platform Inc, Quarterly Report (10-Q) for Period Ended March 31 2026
Why the Skill-Versus-Gambling Question Matters
The bot allegation is doing heavy legal work in this case. Most U.S. states apply a three-prong test that treats an activity as gambling when it involves consideration, chance, and a prize, and some states apply a stricter “any chance” standard that makes it easier to reclassify a skill-game platform as a gambling operation.9Chambers Practice Guides. Gaming Law Comparison, United States At the federal level, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act bars businesses involved in betting from knowingly accepting payments to settle debts tied to unlawful internet gambling, and it largely defers to state law for the underlying legality determination.10FTC. Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
If Skillz can prove that Blitz outcomes are driven by algorithms rather than player skill, its theory is that the tournaments become illegal gambling under many state laws. That is the argument the defendants have moved to strike, and it is the reason the “Esport Newco” name is now attached to a closely watched federal case in the mobile gaming industry.