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Bryn Kenney has filed a first amended complaint in Nevada federal court against GGPoker-related companies and CEO Mansoo “Michael” Kim, alleging he was denied millions of dollars in player-recruitment commissions and a promised 5% equity stake. The high-stakes tournament player also alleges that Kim concealed cheating and security failures on the platform before blaming some cheating on games managed by Kenney.

The suit names Kim, NSUS Group Inc., NSUS Limited and Global Gaming & Hospitality LLC. Kenney is seeking damages, punitive damages and company records that he says are needed to calculate the amounts owed. The allegations have not been proven in court.

The case began in Clark County’s Eighth Judicial District Court in July before Kim removed it to the U.S. District Court in Nevada on Aug. 25, according to RG.org’s review of the federal docket. Kim filed a motion to dismiss Sept. 23. After the parties agreed to extend briefing deadlines, the hearing was moved from Oct. 21 to Nov. 12 before U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey in Las Vegas.

Kenney signed an endorsement agreement with NSUS Limited in March 2018. He alleges that Kim proposed a broader arrangement in August of that year, offering commissions on players Kenney recruited and a 5% ownership interest in the business that became GGPoker.

Kenney says he helped build GGPoker’s high-roller tournaments and recruited thousands of players and agents while working about 12 hours a day, seven days a week. The complaint says Kim recruited him while GGPoker was a relatively small operator attempting to earn players’ trust. Kenney is described as tournament poker’s all-time gross-earings leader, with almost $91 million in earnings.

The commission arrangement initially generated about $5 million for Kenney in 2019, he says. But the complaint alleges GGPoker later removed recruited players from internal commission-tracking systems, made unauthorized deductions, cut his commission rate and approached his agents directly to move their accounts under company control.

Kenney claims those actions reduced his annual commission income by more than $3 million compared with his earlier earnings, leaving tens of millions of dollars unpaid. He also alleges that the 5% equity interest was never transferred despite his performance under the oral agreement, and estimates that stake is worth tens of millions of dollars.

The complaint ties the claimed stake to NSUS Group’s $500 million acquisition of the World Series of Poker brand from Caesars Entertainment in 2024. Kenney alleges his work growing GGPoker helped make that transaction possible, but that his ownership interest was not recognized in the deal.

The suit also centers on alleged failures in GGPoker’s anti-cheating protections. Kenney says Kim assured him that the site had robust safeguards and a dedicated team to prevent cheating, despite allegedly knowing that players were cheating on the platform and failing to act. Kenney further alleges that Kim later told players cheating had occurred in games managed by Kenney.

Kenney says he personally guaranteed winnings for players he brought to GGPoker. In one incident, he alleges he paid $1 million from his own money after Kim did not pay the full $6 million owed to players. The complaint additionally alleges Kim targeted American players, including Nevada residents, and allowed some cryptocurrency users to access GGPoker without a virtual private network.

GGPoker has publicly described enforcement against real-time assistance, or RTA, in separate circumstances. The company said it had blocked 31 accounts for fair-play violations in collaboration with GTOWizard. Its security policy defines RTA as external assistance that creates an unfair advantage or influences real-time decisions, and says violations can result in a permanent ban and confiscation of funds.

Kenney left GGPoker’s ambassador program in 2020, with the complaint not stating why, and later founded Latin America-focused poker business 4poker. His response to Kim’s dismissal motion was due Oct. 14, while replies are due Oct. 26.