Add Sweepstakes Casino Controversy - And Celebrities' All-important Role
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<br>The smiling faces of Paris Hilton and Ryan Seacrest made surprise appearances before the Louisiana Senate for Friday's hearing on unlawful gaming.<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>No, they weren't personally in presence, but the world-famous celebrities were conspicuously included in a slide discussion on social and sweepstakes gambling establishments - the questionable websites using both totally free casino-style games and rewarding prizes, such as cash, present cards or cryptocurrency. In one advertisement, the fist-pumping Seacrest is seen plugging Chumba Casino, where anyone can 'play for free,' while a crop-topped Hilton holds a chip for sweepstakes operator, Wow Vegas, in the other.<br>
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<br>The websites are simply 2 cogs in the multibillion-dollar market that now discovers itself besieged by claims. In the eyes of numerous gaming corporations, not to mention claim complainants and state regulators, sweepstakes gambling establishments act as standard gambling establishments, just without the oversight, consumer protections and tax laws. So not only can they prevent the high 24-percent federal gambling levy, however sweepstakes operators aren't based on regulatory difficulties like anti-money laundering and responsible-gaming securities.<br>
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<br>One operator, Australia-based Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), reported $4 billion in earnings last year alone. Now the company faces allegations of illegal gaming in a New york city suit that claims VGW utilizes celeb endorsers to 'produce a veneer of legitimacy' around its product. (See VGW's declaration listed below)<br>
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<br>'I'm unsure" if you do not trust us, you can trust Paris Hilton" is a winning message for business running multibillion-dollar prohibited operations out of places like Malta, Isle of Man, or US mail drops,' Friday's presenter, [Howard Glaser](https://twoplustwoequal.com/read-blog/58984_score-big-wins-how-sports-betting-software-drives-growth-and-engagement.html) of gaming corporation Light & Wonder, told DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes endorsers include a series of celebrities from gambling enthusiasts Drake and DJ Khaled to [swimmer Michael](https://oolibuzz.com/read-blog/41673_how-are-betting-odds-calculated.html) Phelps, along with NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George - none of whom provide any differences in between standard gaming and sweepstakes play.<br>
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<br>Paris Hilton is seen plugging Wow Vegas, one of numerous sweepstakes casinos discovered online<br>
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<br>Ryan Seacrest urges fans to dip into Chumba Casino, where numerous - but not all - video games are complimentary<br>
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<br>Drake has an offer with social sweeps casino, Stake, that he routinely touts on social networks<br>
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<br>Find out more<br>
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<br>Donald Trump 'set to name NBA team owner as US ambassador to Italy'<br>
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<br>Instead, advertisements normally focus around the social element of the casinos, while leaving out the potential for actual [sports betting](https://socialsmerch.com/read-blog/10523_the-ins-and-outs-of-betting-on-the-nfl-draft.html) losses.<br>
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<br>Others tempt customers with pledges of rewards. One such operator, Stake, ran a social networks advertisement revealing off Drake's automobiles, aircrafts and estates before rotating to footage of the rap artist playing online casino-style games.<br>
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<br>'Daddy, why do we have a lot money?' read the first caption on the screen.<br>
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<br>Another caption discussed: 'Because I never quit.'<br>
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<br>The discrepancy between [sports betting](https://infosocial.top/read-blog/4022_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) sites and social or sweepstakes casinos is a bit complicated, but operators of the latter insist they're not included with the former.<br>
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<br>A spokesperson for a market trade group, the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA), discussed its members are not in direct competition with online gambling establishments and sportsbooks. Furthermore, according to SPGA information, the majority of the players on social-sweepstakes casinos are [sports betting](https://dev.fleeped.com/read-blog/49_tennessee-sports-betting-top-4-legal-betting-sites-in-2024.html) totally free.<br>
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<br>'Most social sweeps clients never ever buy,' the SPGA representative [informed DailyMail](https://mxlinkin.mimeld.com/read-blog/657_online-betting-firms-gamble-on-soccer-mad-nigeria.html).com. 'The minority of consumers who make purchases do so in quantities far smaller sized than the common deposit or bet size at real-money online gaming sites.'<br>
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<br>Social gambling establishments offer clients an opportunity to play casino-style games with pals. Players have the alternative to [buy valueless](http://www.vmeste-so-vsemi.ru/wiki/%D0%A3%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA:VivienFrasier86) [currency](https://chateando.net/read-blog/219_how-to-withdraw-from-bet9ja-8-step-guide-to-money-in-your-wins.html) typically referred to as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged genuine cash, however can be used to unlock different features within the games.<br>
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<br>But within the world of social gambling establishments exists sweepstakes video gaming, allowing consumers to acquire other currency called 'sweeps coins' that can be exchanged for money or other prizes.<br>
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<br>And therein lies the potential for monetary losses, like the ones claimed by [plaintiffs](https://octomo.co.uk/read-blog/6512_things-you-need-to-understand-about-rafting-adventures.html) in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York. One gamer informed the Washington Post he lost more than $100,000 on sweepstakes gambling establishments in the previous year after continuing to buy more coins in pursuit of cash and other things of value.<br>
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<br>The Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George is seen promoting a Worldwide Poker event<br>
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<br>Social sweeps gambling establishment Stake ran an ad flaunting Drake's cars, planes and mansions<br>
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<br>Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York City Knicks is another NBA star plugging VGW's Global Poker<br>
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<br>Traditional online [casinos](https://lubuzz.com/read-blog/84_things-you-need-to-know-about-rafting-adventures.html) are banned in all but seven states, which has actually helped to sustain the appeal of sweepstakes gambling establishments.<br>
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<br>Anyone over the age of 18 can access the sweepstakes sites, which do not require normally [require identification](https://naijamatta.com/read-blog/34878_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-us-after-sports-wager-ruling.html). However, sites like Chumba will ask for IDs from gamers trying to withdraw any funds.<br>
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<br>Many sites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, permit clients to send mail-in demands for complimentary sweeps coins, provided the gamers follow painfully specific guidelines. What's more, players are typically rewarded with sweeps coins merely for registering, thus giving them a factor to attempt their hands at any number of casino games for an [opportunity](http://www.seferpanim.com/read-blog/378_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-delay-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) to win - or lose - real money.<br>
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<br>So why are sweepstakes websites enabled to run in 48 states, while online gambling establishments are banned in all but 7?<br>
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<br>According to the stakeholders, their product is the free casino-style video gaming, and the real-stakes competitors is merely a means of promoting their bread and butter.<br>
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<br>'Social sweepstakes [video games](https://cheere.org/read-blog/36284_how-much-are-americans-spending-on-sports-betting.html) are merely a form of online home entertainment,' an SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com by email. 'No purchase is needed to dip into social casinos with sweepstakes rewards. Consumers never have to pay for a chance to win rewards. That absence of a purchase requirement - or" consideration" - is a crucial difference in between social sweeps and traditional online gaming websites like gambling establishments.'<br>
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<br>Consider the way that McDonald's utilizes its yearly Monopoly video game to promote its food: Customers aren't paying to bet, however rather they're buying hamburgers and french fries that provide them the chance to win profitable rewards, such as a $1 million jackpot.<br>
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<br>And without a purchase requirement, or 'consideration', the video game itself doesn't satisfy the meaning of [gambling](https://www.tobeop.com/missouri-sports-betting-ballot-measure-approved-by-voters/) in the US.<br>
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<br>'Sweepstakes are a long-standing method for promoting all type of everyday companies in the United States, everything from burgers to publication subscriptions to coffee and home enhancement stores,' the SPGA representative told DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promos are routinely used by a who's who of family names like AT&T, Chase, Home Depot, Marriott, Starbucks, and Wal-Mart.'<br>
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<br>But to many gambling market experts, that argument does not cut it.<br>
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<br>For starters, gaming attorney Daniel Wallach explains, McDonald's Monopoly game does not run forever. Rather, it has a well-defined start and end, thus suggesting the is not the fast-food giant's main product. Instead, the sweepstakes is being used to promote real products like fries, shakes, and the Filet-O-Fish.<br>
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<br>'They don't last forever and they're typically not connected to casino-style games of possibility,' Wallach told DailyMail.com. 'They're simply money free gifts.<br>
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<br>'The sweepstakes [gambling establishments] have none of the qualities commonly associated with McDonald's-design sweepstakes promotions,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in all time, the sweepstakes gambling establishments provide" casino-like" payouts, generally 80 percent or more of earnings, whereas the typical payment percentage for a short-lived marketing sweepstakes is an unimportant share of the earnings earned by the business [normally less than one percent]'<br>
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<br>Wallach is quick to compare the online social sweeps gambling establishments to the internet coffee shops that sprang up in Florida, offering consumers the chance to play casino-style games for genuine prizes. A lot of those brick-and-mortar facilities have considering that been shuttered over accusations of unlawful gaming.<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>DJ Khaled is amongst several star spokespeople for [VGW's Global](https://wiki.monnaie-libre.fr/wiki/Utilisateur:TerriHemming94) Poker brand name<br>
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<br>Now, Wallach argues, social sweeps casinos need to face comparable examination.<br>
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<br>'These differences are not arbitrary,' Wallach said of social sweeps casinos. 'They have actually consistently been mentioned by courts and state lawyer generals as crucial consider identifying that a sweepstakes promo was in fact a guise for illegal [sports betting](https://app.galaxiesunion.com/read-blog/13145_sport-betting-industry-seeks-to-protect-itself.html).'<br>
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<br>One of the casino industry's leading trade organizations, the American Gaming Association, is now pushing lawmakers to investigate sweepstakes operators and, sometimes, enact brand-new [legislation](https://munidigital.iie.cl/wiki/index.php?title=Usuario:AngelesGoodfello) on the issue.<br>
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<br>'Consumers are being deprived of securities and states are passing up considerable tax and revenue chances as this gaming changes that performed through controlled channels,' read a well-circulated AGA memo.<br>
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<br>And after that there are the complainants who have sued social gambling establishments in more than a dozen states.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes casino operators paid a combined $14.2 million in 4 separate cases in Kentucky without confessing any misdeed, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile VGW concurred to pay $11.75 million in one class-action lawsuit, stating the settlement was made to prevent legal costs and continued litigation.<br>
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<br>Michael Phelps has actually signed a deal with the VGW Group, which owns Global Poker<br>
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<br>In the most current lawsuit, which is largely similar to its predecessors, New York state homeowners Lamar Prater and Rebecca Pratt both declare to have lost well over $1,000 to VGW, which is explained in the filing as an 'prohibited [sports betting](https://cozwo.com/read-blog/8465_just-how-much-are-americans-investing-in-sports-betting.html) business. '<br>
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<br>Apple and Google have actually likewise been called as defendants in claims for hosting the sweepstakes websites. But unlike VGW, neither tech company reacted to DailyMail.com's ask for remark.<br>
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<br>'We usually do not comment on matters before the courts,' a VGW representative told DailyMail.com by means of email. 'However, we note that this claim has only just been filed with the court and VGW has not been formally served.<br>
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<br>'We have full self-confidence in our compliance with all laws and policies where we run, and stay positive about the future,' the spokesperson continued. 'We continue to use our free-to-play video games across most of North America, as we have for more than a decade, developing not just great games, user experiences and home entertainment, however likewise ensuring this is done securely, responsibly and at the greatest level of standards.<br>
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<br>'More broadly, we 'd reiterate that class actions and other [litigations](https://kenyansocial.com/read-blog/1351_missouri-sports-betting-ballot-measure-approved-by-voters.html) and arbitrations are relatively typical throughout the online social video games market (and the US more broadly), and our basic practice is that we plan to intensely protect any claim which might be brought versus us.'<br>
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<br>The issues in between conventional online [sports betting](https://accc.rcec.sinica.edu.tw/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:AguedaNeubauer) and sweepstakes gambling establishments could show problematic for some celeb endorsers.<br>
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<br>Towns, a star center with the Knicks, and the 76ers' George both back VGW's Global Poker brand while the NBA is partnered with traditional gaming titans like FanDuel and DraftKings.<br>
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<br>'It's ironic that expert athletes are hawking illegal [sports betting](https://terra.planetv.wtf/read-blog/689_.html) 'sweeps' websites while at the very same time the leagues wish to project a strong position versus unlawful gambling - especially when attempting to tamp down the periodic gambling scandal,' Glaser informed DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>It was simply 8 months ago that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter got a life time restriction from the NBA over accusations he conspired with bettors. However, to be clear, Porter's scandal is unassociated to anything involving social or sweepstakes gambling establishments.<br>
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<br>Along with VGW, Apple and Google are being demanded hosting supposedly unlawful [sports betting](https://si-sudagro.net/cdc-hiruak/index.php?qa=153577&qa_1=fantasy-betting-development-companies-sports-developers) sites<br>
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<br>Regardless, Glaser sees sweepstakes casinos as a major concern for leagues such as the NBA.<br>
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<br>'I 'd anticipate that a league crackdown on athletes endorsing sweepstakes websites refers when, not if,' Glaser added.<br>
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<br>Neither an NBA spokesman nor the players' representatives reacted to DailyMail.com's demands for comment. For that matter, spokespeople for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, Seacrest and Phelps likewise neglected to react to DailyMail.com e-mails.<br>
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<br>Asked if their celebrity endorsers have an obligation to describe to consumers the distinctions and resemblances in between iGaming and sweepstakes gambling establishments, VGW insisted there is absolutely nothing more that needs to be done.<br>
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<br>'We have complete self-confidence in our influencer and ambassadorial partnerships, and our organization practices more broadly,' the representative stated. 'A few of our worths are" our players come first" and" we do what's right", and we put our worths at the core of everything we do.'<br>
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<br>Glaser, an outspoken opponent of sweepstakes websites, sees things differently.<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>'Celebrities who lend their names to shady illegal [sports betting](https://wiki.vifm.info/index.php/User:LeonardGallegos) websites are, at a minimum, putting their reputations at threat along with courting civil and class actions by consumers who allege damage,' Glaser said. 'There is likewise some threat that state regulators and state attorneys general rope star endorsers into enforcement efforts for helping with illegal gaming.'<br>
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