Sports Betting Influencer Files Lawsuit Against Caesars Over $500,500 Payout
Posted on: July 16, 2025, 10:21h.
Last updated on: July 16, 2025, 10:26h.
- A disgruntled sports bettor has sued Harrah’s Cherokee
- The sports bettor is also an influencer who says he was defamed by casino employees
- The bettor’s $500,500 winnings were eventually paid
Sports betting influencer Emmanuel Kromah, who goes by Fort Manny on his various social media channels where he’s amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, has filed a federal lawsuit against Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina and the tribal property’s management firm, Caesars Entertainment. The suit also names an entity controlled by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which owns the tribal casino destination.
Filed in North Carolina’s Western US District Court, Kromah, a resident of Sunny Isles Beach in Florida’s Miami-Dade County, alleges that he was the victim of defamation for prejudice and insinuating actions by Harrah’s staff, specifically, employees at the Caesars Sportsbook where he had sought to redeem his $500,500 in winnings stemming from a $143K bet that he risked on the Boston Celtics winning the 2024 NBA Finals on odds of +250. The wager was made in person at the Harrah’s Caesars Sportsbook on Feb. 24, 2024.
Kromah’s lawsuit contends that the casino additionally committed tortious interference with a business contract and engaged in an unfair and deceptive trade practice.
Kromah claims he arrived at the Harrah’s Cherokee Caesars Sportsbook on June 30 with a business colleague to collect the more than half a million dollars. But upon arrival, “Mr. Kromah was rudely informed that he would not be collecting his winnings,” the complaint, as reviewed by Casino.org, read.
Winnings Paid After Controversy
Kromah, whose Fort Manny YouTube page has almost 26K subscribers and his “fortmannybets” Instagram account is followed by 207K people, says he was “met with rudeness, discrimination, and accusations of being a fraud and criminal from the employees when he attempted to obtain answers for why he was not able to collect his rightly owed monies.”
The complaint alleges that security was called to escort him off the property. Local police were also called and met Kromah outside.
Mr. Kromah is an African-American and based upon the circumstances, Defendants’ employees made it appear as if Mr. Kromah was a criminal being arrested,” the lawsuit added.
Kromah was eventually wired his $500,500 winnings on July 10, 2024. The payout, however, came with a notice that he was no longer welcome at Harrah’s Cherokee or any other Caesars property nationwide or abroad.
“This letter is to inform you that, based on regulatory considerations, a decision has been made by the management of Caesars Entertainment Corporation that you may not conduct further gaming or other business with any Caesars-owned or operated property in the United States or abroad,” the letter read.
Kromah is seeking at least $300K in actual and compensatory damages, plus all attorney and court costs.
Big Payouts Often Wired
Caesars Entertainment hasn’t commented publicly on the lawsuit, as is the company’s policy.
In regional sports betting markets, large wins such as Fort Manny’s are often paid via a bank wire. Local sportsbooks, unlike those in Las Vegas, don’t typically hold such volumes of cash, and many sports bettors prefer a wire for safety reasons.
Influencers, however, might prefer cash, as stacks of cash make for better Instagram photos.
Last Comment ( 1 )
Are ALL of you idiots blind? Did you not see what any INTELLIGENT person can see wrong with this? Look at the money he is holding...IT'S ALL FAKE!!!!!!!!!!! You journalistic dumbasses....when have you EVER seen a bank money band BLANK! You would never work in a legit media outlet with your head up your asses...this black guy no more bets like that than a dead man collecting his pension in person. Wake the fuck up and do solid investigative reporting instead of bullshit stories on morons thinking they are influencer in the business... WARNING to ALL pretenders.....X marks the spot on your asses now...it is open season.