Bryn Kenney, the tournament poker player, has sued GGPoker-related companies and chief executive Mansoo “Michael” Kim in Nevada federal court, alleging that commissions worth tens of millions of dollars were withheld and that a promised 5% ownership interest was never delivered.
The first amended complaint was filed on Oct. 14. It names Kim, NSUS Group Inc. and NSUS Limited, and seeks damages, punitive damages and access to company records to calculate the sums Kenney says he is owed. Pokerfuse reported that the case began in Nevada state court before being moved to federal court.
Kenney’s partnership with NSUS Limited began with a March 2018 endorsement agreement, under which he became GGPoker’s public face. He says Kim subsequently agreed to affiliate commissions from recruited players and agents, as well as the 5% equity stake.
According to the complaint, Kenney helped create the operator’s high-roller tournaments, recruited thousands of players and agents, and worked about 12 hours a day, seven days a week to expand the business. He says commissions amounted to about $5 million in 2019.
The suit alleges that, as GGPoker grew, players recruited by Kenney were removed from the commission-tracking system, unauthorised deductions were made and agents in his network were approached directly to transfer their accounts to the operator. Kenney says the changes cut his annual commissions by more than $3 million by 2025 compared with his first year under the arrangement.
Kenney also alleges that Kim did not transfer the 5% stake despite Kenney fulfilling his obligations. NSUS Group bought the World Series of Poker brand from Caesars Entertainment for $500 million in 2024. Kenney contends that his work contributed to GGPoker’s growth and that the unrecognised stake is worth tens of millions of dollars.
A further part of the complaint concerns GGPoker’s safeguards against cheating. Kenney alleges that Kim assured him the site had robust protections and a dedicated anti-cheating team, while knowing of cheating problems and failing to act. He says Kim later told players that the problems had occurred in games Kenney managed.
Kenney says he personally guaranteed winnings for players he brought to GGPoker. In one alleged incident, he paid $1 million after Kim did not pay the full $6 million owed to players. The complaint also alleges that Kim targeted American players, including Nevada residents, and enabled access without a VPN for people willing to use cryptocurrency.
The cheating allegations arise against a complicated backdrop. GGPoker announced a Poker Integrity Council in 2022 to review flagged accounts and hand histories for conduct including real-time assistance and ghosting. That year, PokerNews reported that Kenney faced serious allegations of running a collusion and ghosting scheme on GGPoker, and that text-message records appeared to corroborate some accusations.
Kenney is described as the leading tournament player by gross earnings, with almost $91 million. The claims in his lawsuit have not been proven in court. Kim has moved to dismiss the case, and a hearing is scheduled for Nov. 12.
