OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The state is taking the owners of several online gambling apps to court over hundreds of millions of dollars it claims was illegally taken.

State Attorney General Nick Brown filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, Feb. 3 against several companies that he says operate unlicensed casino apps.

He claims that over 150,000 state residents use the apps each month, even though the companies don’t have gambling licenses to operate in Washington.

“These companies repeatedly violated Washington law, engaged in deceptive practices, and fleeced Washingtonians out of hundreds of millions of dollars,” Brown said. “It is especially troubling to see gambling apps targeting children.”

According to the suit, residents have lost more than $225 million to the apps over the past five years.

It also alleges that none of the apps ask players for their age or date of birth and that the company Playtika in particular targets children.

The casino apps named in the lawsuit include Slotomania, Big Fish Casino, Caesar’s Casino Slots and World Series of Poker, among others.

Brown is asking the court to stop any illegal activity done by the companies and recover all the money lost by state residents.