Add Sweepstakes Casino Controversy - And Celebrities' All-important Role
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[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)<br>The smiling faces of Paris Hilton and Ryan Seacrest made surprise looks before the Louisiana Senate for Friday's hearing on illegal gaming.<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/AviatorGameOnlineBET9JA)
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<br>No, they weren't personally in attendance, but the world-famous stars were notably included in a slide presentation on social and sweepstakes casinos - the questionable websites offering both totally free casino-style games and lucrative prizes, such as cash, present cards or cryptocurrency. In one ad, the fist-pumping Seacrest is seen [plugging](https://rhabits.io/read-blog/7580_how-fantasy-betting-app-development-companies-and-sports-developers.html) Chumba Casino, where anybody can 'bet totally free,' while a crop-topped Hilton holds a chip for sweepstakes operator, Wow Vegas, in the other.<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/Bet9jaPromotionCodeYOHAIG)
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<br>The sites are just 2 cogs in the multibillion-dollar market that now discovers itself besieged by lawsuits. In the eyes of many video gaming corporations, not to discuss lawsuit complainants and state regulators, sweepstakes gambling establishments serve as traditional gambling establishments, just without the oversight, consumer defenses and tax laws. So not only can they avoid the steep 24-percent federal gambling levy, however sweepstakes operators aren't subject to regulatory hurdles like anti-money laundering and responsible-gaming protections.<br>
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<br>One operator, Australia-based Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), reported $4 billion in profits last year alone. Now the company faces of unlawful gaming in a New York lawsuit that declares VGW uses star endorsers to 'develop a veneer of authenticity' around its product. (See VGW's statement listed below)<br>
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<br>'I'm not exactly sure" if you don't trust us, you can trust Paris Hilton" is a winning message for business operating multibillion-dollar prohibited operations out of places like Malta, Isle of Man, or US mail drops,' Friday's speaker, Howard Glaser of video gaming corporation Light & Wonder, told DailyMail.com.<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>Sweepstakes endorsers include a variety of celebs from [sports betting](https://ozgurtasdemir.net/read-blog/529_sweepstakes-casino-controversy-and-celebrities-039-all-important-role.html) lovers Drake and DJ Khaled to swimmer Michael Phelps, along with NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George - none of whom offer any distinctions in between traditional [sports betting](https://origintraffic.com/read-blog/1669_compare-amp-review-oddsjet-de.html) and sweepstakes play.<br>
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<br>Paris Hilton is seen plugging Wow Vegas, one of many sweepstakes casinos discovered online<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/Bet9jaPromotionCodeYOHAIG)
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<br>Ryan Seacrest prompts fans to dip into Chumba Casino, where lots of - however not all - video games are complimentary<br>
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<br>Drake has a [handle social](https://cosplaybook.de/read-blog/7026_just-how-much-are-americans-spending-on-sports-betting.html) sweeps casino, Stake, that he frequently touts on social networks<br>
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<br>Find out more<br>
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<br>Donald Trump 'set to call NBA team owner as US ambassador to Italy'<br>
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<br>Instead, [advertisements typically](https://inicknet.com/read-blog/2197_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-united-states-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) focus around the social element of the gambling establishments, while omitting the potential for [actual gaming](https://dev.fleeped.com/read-blog/82_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-united-states-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) losses.<br>
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<br>Others lure customers with pledges of rewards. One such operator, Stake, ran a social media ad displaying Drake's cars, airplanes and estates before rotating to video of the rap artist playing online casino-style games.<br>
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<br>'Daddy, why do we have so much cash?' check out the first caption on the screen.<br>
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<br>Another caption described: 'Because I never ever offered up.'<br>
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<br>The inconsistency in between gaming websites and social or sweepstakes casinos is a bit complex, however operators of the latter insist they're not involved with the former.<br>
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<br>A representative for a market trade group, the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA), explained its members are not in direct competitors with online gambling establishments and sportsbooks. Furthermore, according to SPGA information, many of the players on social-sweepstakes gambling establishments are [sports betting](https://customerscomm.com/read-blog/3738_how-much-are-americans-investing-in-sports-betting.html) free.<br>
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<br>'Most social sweeps consumers never ever purchase,' the SPGA spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 'The minority of clients who make purchases do so in quantities far smaller than the common deposit or wager size at real-money online gambling sites.'<br>
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<br>Social gambling establishments use clients a chance to play casino-style video games with buddies. Players have the choice to purchase worthless currency often described as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged genuine money, but can be used to unlock various functions within the games.<br>
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<br>But within the world of social casinos exists sweepstakes video gaming, enabling clients to obtain other currency known as 'sweeps coins' that can be exchanged for money or other rewards.<br>
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<br>And therein lies the capacity for financial losses, like the ones declared by complainants in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York. One player informed the Washington Post he lost more than $100,000 on sweepstakes casinos in the past year after continuing to buy more coins in pursuit of cash and other things of worth.<br>
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<br>The Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George is seen promoting an International Poker event<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>Social sweeps casino Stake ran an ad flaunting Drake's vehicles, airplanes and mansions<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks is another NBA star plugging VGW's Global Poker<br>
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<br>Traditional online gambling establishments are banned in all however 7 states, which has helped to fuel the popularity of sweepstakes casinos.<br>
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<br>Anyone over the age of 18 can access the sweepstakes websites, which do not need usually need recognition. However, websites 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 submit mail-in requests for totally free sweeps coins, offered the gamers follow painfully specific directions. What's more, players are frequently rewarded with sweeps coins merely for signing up, therefore providing a factor to try their hands at any variety of gambling establishment games for a possibility to win - or lose - genuine cash.<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 totally free casino-style gaming, and the real-stakes competition is merely a means of promoting their support.<br>
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<br>'Social sweepstakes games are simply a form of online entertainment,' an SPGA spokesperson informed DailyMail.com by e-mail. 'No purchase is required to play at social gambling establishments with sweepstakes rewards. Consumers never need to spend for an opportunity to win rewards. That absence of a purchase requirement - or" consideration" - is a crucial distinction in between social sweeps and standard online gaming websites like casinos.'<br>
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<br>Think about the method that McDonald's utilizes its annual Monopoly game to promote its food: Customers aren't paying to bet, however rather they're buying hamburgers and fries that use them the opportunity to win financially rewarding prizes, such as a $1 million jackpot.<br>
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<br>And without a purchase requirement, or 'factor to consider', the video game itself does not fulfill the meaning of gambling in the US.<br>
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<br>'Sweepstakes are an enduring approach for promoting all type of daily services in the United States, whatever from burgers to publication subscriptions to coffee and home enhancement shops,' the SPGA representative told DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promos are regularly utilized by a who's who of home names like AT&T, Chase, Home Depot, Marriott, Starbucks, and Wal-Mart.'<br>
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<br>But to many [sports betting](https://farmwoo.com/read-blog/9531_best-u-s-sports-betting-sites-amp-sportsbooks-for-2024.html) industry insiders, that [argument](https://www.miptrucking.net/read-blog/1287_things-you-need-to-know-about-rafting-adventures.html) does not cut it.<br>
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<br>For beginners, gaming attorney Daniel Wallach mentions, McDonald's Monopoly game doesn't run indefinitely. Rather, it has a well-defined beginning and end, consequently recommending the sweepstakes is not the fast-food giant's primary product. Instead, the sweepstakes is being used to promote genuine products like fries, shakes, and the Filet-O-Fish.<br>
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<br>'They do not last permanently and they're usually not connected to casino-style games of opportunity,' Wallach informed DailyMail.com. 'They're simply cash free gifts.<br>
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<br>'The sweepstakes [casinos] possess none of the [characteristics frequently](https://mxlinkin.mimeld.com/read-blog/698_score-big-wins-how-sports-betting-software-drives-growth-and-engagement.html) associated with McDonald's-style sweepstakes promotions,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in eternity, the sweepstakes gambling establishments use" casino-like" payments, usually 80 percent or more of profits, whereas the common payout portion for a short-lived advertising sweepstakes is a minor share of the revenue made by the business [normally less than one percent]'<br>
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<br>[Wallach fasts](https://systemcheck-wiki.de/index.php?title=Benutzer:BellV8685945) to liken the online social sweeps gambling establishments to the internet cafes that emerged in Florida, using clients the chance to play casino-style video games for real prizes. A lot of those brick-and-mortar facilities have actually because been shuttered over accusations of unlawful gaming.<br>
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<br>DJ Khaled is among numerous star spokespeople for VGW's Global Poker brand<br>
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<br>Now, Wallach argues, social sweeps gambling establishments need to deal with similar examination.<br>
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<br>'These differences are not arbitrary,' Wallach stated of social sweeps casinos. 'They have actually consistently been mentioned by courts and state chief law officer as essential consider figuring out that a sweepstakes promo [remained](https://profesional.id/read-blog/135_missouri-sports-betting-ballot-measure-approved-by-voters.html) in fact a guise for [illegal gaming](https://embargo.energy/index.php/User:IsobelCarrol21).'<br>
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<br>Among the gambling establishment market's leading trade organizations, the American Gaming Association, is now pushing legislators to investigate sweepstakes operators and, sometimes, enact new legislation on the concern.<br>
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<br>'Consumers are being deprived of protections and states are giving up substantial tax and profits opportunities as this gambling replaces that performed through regulated channels,' read a well-circulated AGA memo.<br>
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<br>And then there are the plaintiffs who have actually sued social gambling establishments in more than a lots states.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes gambling establishment operators paid a combined $14.2 million in 4 different cases in Kentucky without admitting any misdeed, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile VGW accepted pay $11.75 million in one class-action lawsuit, stating the settlement was made to avoid legal expenses and continued litigation.<br>
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<br>[Michael Phelps](https://hcsxy2024.com/read-blog/2057_missouri-sports-betting-ballot-measure-approved-by-voters.html) has actually signed an offer with the VGW Group, which owns Global Poker<br>
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<br>In the current claim, which is mostly comparable to its predecessors, New york city state citizens Lamar Prater and Rebecca Pratt both claim to have lost well over $1,000 to VGW, which is explained in the filing as an 'illegal [sports betting](https://www.oscommerce.com/wiki/User_talk:StanForest604) enterprise. '<br>
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<br>Apple and Google have actually likewise been named as [offenders](https://issosyal.com/read-blog/10864_for-sports-gambling-to-be-legalised.html) in claims for hosting the sweepstakes sites. But unlike VGW, neither tech business reacted to DailyMail.com's ask for comment.<br>
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<br>'We generally do not discuss matters before the courts,' a VGW representative [informed DailyMail](https://loveyou.az/read-blog/20155_sweepstakes-casino-controversy-and-celebrities-039-all-important-role.html).com through e-mail. 'However, we note that this claim has only just been filed with the court and VGW has actually not been officially served.<br>
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<br>'We have complete self-confidence in our [compliance](http://bedfordfalls.live/read-blog/113610_just-how-much-are-americans-investing-in-sports-betting.html) with all laws and regulations where we run, and remain confident about the future,' the spokesperson continued. 'We continue to provide our free-to-play games throughout many of North America, as we have for more than a years, creating not just great games, user experiences and entertainment, but likewise ensuring this is done safely, responsibly and at the greatest level of standards.<br>
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<br>'More broadly, we 'd restate that class actions and other litigations and arbitrations are reasonably typical throughout the online social video games industry (and the US more broadly), and our basic practice is that we plan to [vigorously safeguard](https://micircle.in/read-blog/443_the-ins-and-outs-of-betting-on-the-nfl-draft.html) any claim which might be brought against us.'<br>
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<br>The problems in between [traditional online](https://bdstarter.com/the-history-of-the-nfl-and-how-to-bet-on-it/) gaming and sweepstakes gambling establishments might show bothersome for some celebrity 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 name while the NBA is partnered with standard gaming titans like FanDuel and DraftKings.<br>
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<br>'It's ironic that professional athletes are hawking prohibited [sports betting](https://richonline.club/read-blog/3575_missouri-sports-betting-ballot-measure-approved-by-voters.html) wagering 'sweeps' websites while at the very same time the leagues wish to project a strong position against illegal gambling - especially when attempting to tamp down the occasional gaming scandal,' Glaser informed DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>It was simply eight months ago that Toronto Raptors [forward](http://www.vmeste-so-vsemi.ru/wiki/%D0%A3%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA:AlissaMartinez3) Jontay Porter got a life time ban from the NBA over claims he conspired with bettors. However, to be clear, Porter's scandal is unrelated to anything including social or sweepstakes casinos.<br>
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<br>Together with VGW, Apple and Google are being sued for hosting presumably unlawful gambling sites<br>
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<br>Regardless, Glaser sees sweepstakes gambling establishments as a significant concern for leagues such as the NBA.<br>
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<br>'I 'd anticipate that a league crackdown on professional athletes backing sweepstakes websites is a matter of when, not if,' Glaser included.<br>
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<br>Neither an NBA spokesman nor the gamers' agents responded to DailyMail.com's ask for comment. For that matter, spokespeople for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, Seacrest and Phelps also overlooked to react to DailyMail.com e-mails.<br>
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<br>Asked if their star endorsers have a responsibility to describe to [consumers](https://mxlinkin.mimeld.com/read-blog/677_just-how-much-are-americans-spending-on-sports-betting.html) the differences and similarities in between iGaming and sweepstakes gambling establishments, VGW firmly insisted there is nothing more that requires 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 spokesperson said. 'A few of our values are" our gamers come initially" and" we do what's right", and we put our values at the core of everything we do.'<br>
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<br>Glaser, an outspoken challenger of sweepstakes sites, sees things differently.<br>
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<br>'Celebrities who lend their names to shady prohibited gambling sites are, at a minimum, putting their track records at risk along with courting civil and class actions by consumers who allege damage,' Glaser stated. 'There is likewise some danger that state regulators and state chief law officers rope celebrity endorsers into enforcement efforts for helping with unlawful gaming.'<br>
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<br>New YorkNBADrakeParis Hilton<br>
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