Louis Vuitton sues Maryland Live! casino over handbag promotion

French luxury brand Louis Vuitton has filed a lawsuit accusing Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland of giving away counterfeit handbags. It's suing Live! Casino operators The Cordish Companies Inc., PPE Casino Resorts Maryland LLC, and ABC Corps. for trademark counterfeiting, trademark infringement, false association, trademark dilution, and violation of Maryland's unfair competition law.

The Louis Vuitton lawsuit claims that Live! Maryland casino provided counterfeit bags as part of an "Art of Luxury" promotion in April 2026. The 29-page court document states the casino used "Louis Vuitton's iconic Monogram Design trademark, including its three famous Flower Design trademarks" while replacing the standard "LV" logo with "Live!" 

During Art of Luxury, Live! Casino visitors could redeem 750 tier credits to receive a bag. Customers earn tier credits through gambling, shopping, and dining at the resort. For example, they earn 1 tier credit for every $1 wagered on slot machines. 

These types of reward programs are common at both the best online casinos and land-based casinos. Of course, the key difference is that the best mobile casinos focus their rewards on gambling since they can't offer shopping and dining like Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland and other retail establishments.

Louis Vuitton sent a cease-and-desist (C&D) notice shortly after the Art of Luxury campaign. Its lawsuit notes that Live! Casino & Hotel went ahead with an "Endless Elegance" promo in May 2026 despite the C&D. Endless Elegance was marketed as giving away LV handbags, hats, jewelry, perfumes, and sunglasses.

The legal filing notes that the two campaigns likely caused "consumer confusion, mistake, and deception, and have caused and will continue to cause significant and irreparable harm to Louis Vuitton."

Louis Vuitton is seeking up to $2 million in damages per type of counterfeit goods (e.g., sunglasses) given away during the promotion. It also wants Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland to destroy all remaining counterfeit merchandise and ensure the public knows that all products given out during its campaigns were fake.

U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar is currently presiding over the case. Louis Vuitton has asked that the case go to a jury trial.

Live! Casino & Hotel offers the most slots in the Old Line State with nearly 3,400 machines. It typically generates around $50 million in monthly gambling revenue alone, meaning it has a strong chance to cover any potential legal damages that Louis Vuitton is seeking.

Looking at Maryland's gaming market from a broader perspective, it features six land-based casinos but has yet to legalize online casino games for real money.

Legislation was recently proposed to allow each retail casino to obtain an iGaming license and offer real money online slots, blackjack, roulette, etc. However, SB 885 did not make it past a Senate committee before the legislative session ended in May 2026.

Bettors must be 21 years or older and otherwise eligible to register and place wagers at online casinos. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please seek assistance from trained professionals such as the Problem Gambling Help Network at 1-800-MY-RESET. 

Jeremy Olson