A federal judge ruled that a RICO case brought against a gray-market gaming machine company in Missouri failed because losing money at gambling can be avoided simply by not playing. Seven plaintiffs filed the lawsuit, alleging that the devices caused them financial harm. According to the lawsuit, all were gambling addicts who had self-excluded from the state's casinos. The decision was based not on the game's dynamics, but on a matter of federal law, albeit one that may prove contentious.