U.S. District Judge William Lawrence dismissed the lawsuit presented by an Arizona man who claimed that the NCAA runs an illegal “gambling enterprise” with its lottery system for Final Four tickets, according to a USA Today report.
Tom George, of Tempe, Ariz., entered several lotteries for Final Four tickets and did not receive tickets. Apparently in frustration, he sued the NCAA and included Ticketmaster, which partners with the NCAA, in the suit. Ticketmaster reached a settlement with George earlier this year.
However, the NCAA had no intention of reaching a deal with George and allowed the case to wind through the legal system for more than a year. In issuing his opinion on the case, Lawrence cited George’s inconsistency of repeatedly entering the lottery, then bringing a lawsuit against the NCAA that claimed the lottery is illegal.
“A plaintiff cannot maintain an action such as this where, knowing the facts of a transaction, he nonetheless became a participant in the very action of which he complains.” Lawrence also wrote that he found no evidence of misrepresentation by the NCAA.
