From 8360a5da0ccec3bb94c49ad6432fc957df3e4801 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: blancacrockett Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2025 10:52:22 +0300 Subject: [PATCH] Add Sweepstakes Casino Controversy - And Celebrities' All-important Role --- ...And Celebrities%27 All-important Role.-.md | 64 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 64 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Sweepstakes Casino Controversy - And Celebrities%27 All-important Role.-.md diff --git a/Sweepstakes Casino Controversy - And Celebrities%27 All-important Role.-.md b/Sweepstakes Casino Controversy - And Celebrities%27 All-important Role.-.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d9e5ffa --- /dev/null +++ b/Sweepstakes Casino Controversy - And Celebrities%27 All-important Role.-.md @@ -0,0 +1,64 @@ +
The smiling faces of Paris Hilton and Ryan Seacrest made surprise looks before the Louisiana Senate for Friday's hearing on illegal [sports betting](https://sabiile.com/read-blog/2116_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-hold-up-039-to-betting-crackdown.html).
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No, they weren't personally in presence, but the world-famous celebrities were conspicuously included in a slide discussion on social and sweepstakes casinos - the questionable sites using both complimentary casino-style games and financially rewarding rewards, such as money, present cards or cryptocurrency. In one advertisement, the fist-pumping Seacrest is seen plugging Chumba Casino, where anybody can 'play for complimentary,' while a crop-topped Hilton holds a chip for [sweepstakes](https://nbc.co.uk/read-blog/115_how-to-withdraw-from-bet9ja-8-step-guide-to-money-in-your-wins.html) operator, Wow Vegas, in the other.
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The websites are simply 2 cogs in the multibillion-dollar market that now discovers itself besieged by claims. In the eyes of lots of video gaming corporations, not to point out claim complainants and state regulators, sweepstakes gambling establishments function as conventional gambling establishments, only without the oversight, consumer securities and tax laws. So not only can they prevent the high 24-percent federal gaming levy, but sweepstakes operators aren't based on [regulatory hurdles](https://bdstarter.com/compare-review-oddsjet-de/) like [anti-money](https://wiki.vst.hs-furtwangen.de/wiki/User:GalenBass3) laundering and responsible-gaming defenses.
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One operator, Australia-based Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), reported $4 billion in earnings in 2015 alone. Now the company deals with accusations of illegal [sports betting](https://welcometohaiti.com/read-blog/18232_best-u-s-sports-betting-sites-amp-sportsbooks-for-2024.html) in a New York lawsuit that declares VGW uses star endorsers to 'create a veneer of legitimacy' around its product. (See VGW's declaration below)
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'I'm unsure" if you don't trust us, you can rely on Paris Hilton" is a winning message for [business running](https://encone.com/read-blog/46252_sweepstakes-casino-controversy-and-celebrities-039-all-important-role.html) multibillion-dollar illegal operations out of locations like Malta, Isle of Man, or US mail drops,' Friday's presenter, Howard Glaser of video gaming corporation Light & Wonder, informed DailyMail.com.
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Sweepstakes endorsers consist of a range of celebs from gambling lovers Drake and DJ Khaled to swimmer Michael Phelps, along with NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George - none of whom provide any differences in between traditional gaming and sweepstakes play.
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Paris Hilton is seen plugging Wow Vegas, one of numerous sweepstakes casinos discovered online
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Ryan Seacrest urges fans to dip into Chumba Casino, where numerous - but not all - video games are free
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Drake has a handle social sweeps gambling establishment, Stake, that he regularly promotes on social media
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Read More
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Donald Trump 'set to call NBA group owner as US ambassador to Italy'
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Instead, ads generally focus around the social aspect of the gambling establishments, while omitting the potential for actual [sports betting](https://theavtar.in/read-blog/30164_sport-betting-industry-wants-to-protect-itself.html) losses.
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Others tempt customers with promises of rewards. One such operator, Stake, ran a social media ad flaunting Drake's automobiles, aircrafts and estates before pivoting to video of the rapper playing online casino-style games.
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'Daddy, why do we have a lot cash?' read the very first caption on the screen.
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Another caption discussed: 'Because I never ever quit.'
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The discrepancy between gaming websites and social or sweepstakes casinos is a bit complicated, however operators of the latter insist they're not included with the previous.
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A spokesperson for an industry trade group, the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA), described its members are not in direct competition with online gambling establishments and [sportsbooks](https://social.concienciacasanare.com/read-blog/36_just-how-much-are-americans-spending-on-sports-betting.html). Furthermore, according to SPGA information, most of the gamers on social-sweepstakes casinos are playing for complimentary.
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'Most social sweeps clients never ever make a purchase,' the SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com. 'The minority of clients who make [purchases](https://seenoor.com/read-blog/441_things-you-need-to-know-about-rafting-adventures.html) do so in amounts far smaller sized than the normal deposit or bet size at real-money online [sports betting](https://cheere.org/read-blog/36299_just-how-much-are-americans-spending-on-sports-betting.html) sites.'
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Social gambling establishments offer customers an opportunity to play casino-style games with pals. Players have the alternative to buy valueless currency frequently referred to as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged genuine cash, but can be used to unlock various features within the games.
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But within the world of [social casinos](https://richonline.club/read-blog/3451_how-much-are-americans-spending-on-sports-betting.html) exists sweepstakes video gaming, permitting consumers to obtain other currency understood as 'sweeps coins' that can be exchanged for cash or other rewards.
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And therein lies the potential for monetary losses, like the ones claimed by complainants in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York City. One player informed the Washington Post he lost more than $100,000 on sweepstakes casinos in the past year after continuing to purchase more coins in pursuit of cash and other things of worth.
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The Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George is seen promoting a Worldwide Poker event
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Social sweeps gambling establishment Stake ran an ad displaying Drake's cars, airplanes and estates
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Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks is another NBA star plugging VGW's Global Poker
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Traditional online casinos are banned in all however 7 states, which has helped to sustain the appeal of sweepstakes casinos.
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Anyone over the age of 18 can access the sweepstakes sites, which do not need usually need identification. However, websites like Chumba will ask for IDs from gamers trying to withdraw any funds.
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Many websites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, permit consumers to submit mail-in ask for free sweeps coins, provided the players follow painfully particular instructions. What's more, players are often rewarded with sweeps coins just for signing up, thus providing them a reason to attempt their hands at any number of casino video games for an opportunity to win - or lose - real cash.
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So why are sweepstakes sites allowed to operate in 48 states, while online casinos are banned in all however 7?
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According to the stakeholders, their product is the complimentary casino-style video gaming, and the real-stakes competition is merely a way of promoting their bread and butter.
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'Social sweepstakes games are just a form of online entertainment,' an SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com by e-mail. is needed to play at social gambling establishments with sweepstakes prizes. Consumers never have to spend for a chance to win prizes. That absence of a purchase requirement - or" consideration" - is a vital difference between social sweeps and traditional online [sports betting](https://we2chat.net/read-blog/26346_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) sites like gambling establishments.'
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Consider the method that McDonald's uses its annual Monopoly video game to promote its food: Customers aren't paying to gamble, but rather they're buying hamburgers and french fries that provide them the possibility to win financially rewarding prizes, such as a $1 million prize.
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And without a purchase requirement, or 'factor to consider', the video game itself doesn't meet the definition of gambling in the US.
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'Sweepstakes are an enduring approach for promoting all kinds of [everyday services](https://camlive.ovh/read-blog/2360_for-sports-gambling-to-be-legalised.html) in the United States, everything from hamburgers to publication memberships to coffee and home enhancement stores,' the SPGA representative told DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promotions are [routinely](https://ai.holiday/read-blog/12051_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-hold-up-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) utilized by a who's who of household names like AT&T, Chase, Home Depot, Marriott, Starbucks, and Wal-Mart.'
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But to lots of [sports betting](https://wiki.rrtn.org/wiki/index.php/User:AudreyWallner) market insiders, that argument doesn't cut it.
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For starters, gaming attorney Daniel Wallach points out, McDonald's Monopoly game doesn't run indefinitely. Rather, it has a distinct start 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.
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'They do not last forever and they're normally not tied to casino-style games of opportunity,' Wallach informed DailyMail.com. 'They're just cash free gifts.
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'The sweepstakes [gambling establishments] possess none of the attributes frequently related to McDonald's-design sweepstakes promos,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in all time, the sweepstakes casinos provide" casino-like" payouts, normally 80 percent or more of profits, whereas the typical payment percentage for a momentary advertising sweepstakes is an insignificant share of the income earned by the company [normally less than one percent]'
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Wallach is fast to compare the online social sweeps gambling establishments to the internet coffee shops that sprang up in Florida, providing clients the chance to play casino-style video games for genuine rewards. A lot of those brick-and-mortar establishments have considering that been shuttered over accusations of unlawful [sports betting](https://customerscomm.com/read-blog/3709_just-how-much-are-americans-investing-in-sports-betting.html).
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DJ Khaled is among numerous star spokespeople for VGW's Global Poker brand
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Now, Wallach argues, social sweeps casinos ought to face similar scrutiny.
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'These differences are not approximate,' Wallach said of social sweeps gambling establishments. 'They have actually consistently been mentioned by courts and state attorney general of the United States as crucial aspects in determining that a sweepstakes promotion was in truth a guise for prohibited gaming.'
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One of the gambling establishment industry's leading trade companies, the American Gaming Association, is now pressing lawmakers to examine sweepstakes operators and, sometimes, enact brand-new legislation on the problem.
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['Consumers](https://ozgurtasdemir.net/read-blog/529_sweepstakes-casino-controversy-and-celebrities-039-all-important-role.html) are being denied of defenses and states are passing up significant tax and revenue chances as this gaming changes that conducted through regulated channels,' checked out a well-circulated AGA memo.
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And then there are the complainants who have taken legal action against social casinos in more than a dozen states.
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Sweepstakes casino operators paid a combined $14.2 million in 4 different cases in Kentucky without confessing any misbehavior, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile VGW concurred to pay $11.75 million in one class-action suit, saying the settlement was made to avoid legal costs and continued lawsuits.
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Michael Phelps has signed an offer with the VGW Group, which owns Global Poker
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In the latest lawsuit, which is largely similar to its predecessors, New York state homeowners Lamar Prater and Rebecca Pratt both claim to have lost well over $1,000 to VGW, which is described in the filing as an 'illegal gaming business. '
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Apple and Google have likewise been named as accuseds in lawsuits for hosting the sweepstakes websites. But unlike VGW, neither tech business responded to DailyMail.com's ask for remark.
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'We normally do not discuss matters before the courts,' a VGW spokesperson informed [DailyMail](https://youslade.com/read-blog/41365_begin-winning-with-pcg-college-football-picks.html).com by means of e-mail. 'However, we note that this claim has actually only simply been filed with the court and VGW has actually not been formally served.
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'We have full self-confidence in our compliance with all laws and regulations where we operate, and remain confident about the future,' the representative continued. 'We continue to use our free-to-play games across many of North America, as we have for more than a years, developing not only fantastic video games, user experiences and home entertainment, but also guaranteeing this is done securely, responsibly and at the highest level of requirements.
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'More broadly, we 'd restate that class actions and other litigations and arbitrations are fairly typical across the online social video games industry (and the US more broadly), and our basic [practice](https://bbarlock.com/index.php/User:RenateYja1823082) is that we intend to strongly protect any claim which may be brought against us.'
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The problems between conventional online [sports betting](http://famedoot.in/read-blog/91_how-fantasy-betting-app-development-companies-and-sports-developers.html) and sweepstakes gambling establishments could show problematic for some celebrity endorsers.
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Towns, a star center with the Knicks, and the 76ers' George both endorse VGW's Global Poker brand while the NBA is partnered with conventional gaming titans like FanDuel and DraftKings.
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'It's paradoxical that professional athletes are hawking illegal [sports betting](http://titotit.com/xe/?document_srl=720103) wagering 'sweeps' sites while at the exact same time the leagues wish to project a strong stance against prohibited gaming - especially when attempting to tamp down the occasional [sports betting](https://bence.net/read-blog/6408_online-betting-firms-gamble-on-soccer-mad-nigeria.html) scandal,' Glaser informed DailyMail.com.
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It was just 8 months ago that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter got a lifetime restriction from the NBA over allegations he conspired with gamblers. However, to be clear, Porter's scandal is unrelated to anything involving social or sweepstakes casinos.
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In addition to VGW, Apple and Google are being demanded hosting supposedly prohibited gambling websites
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Regardless, Glaser sees sweepstakes gambling establishments as a major problem for [leagues](http://yijichain.com/read-blog/15073_how-fantasy-betting-app-development-companies-and-sports-developers.html) such as the NBA.
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'I 'd expect that a league crackdown on professional athletes endorsing sweepstakes sites refers when, not if,' Glaser added.
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Neither an NBA representative nor the gamers' representatives responded to DailyMail.com's ask for comment. For that matter, spokespeople for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, Seacrest and Phelps likewise ignored to respond to DailyMail.com e-mails.
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Asked if their celeb endorsers have an obligation to discuss to customers the distinctions and resemblances in between iGaming and sweepstakes gambling establishments, VGW insisted there is absolutely nothing more that needs to be done.
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'We have full self-confidence in our influencer and ambassadorial collaborations, and our organization practices more broadly,' the representative stated. 'A few of our worths are" our players come initially" and" we do what's right", and we put our values at the core of everything we do.'
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Glaser, an outspoken opponent of sweepstakes websites, sees things differently.
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'Celebrities who lend their names to shady illegal gambling websites are, at a minimum, putting their credibilities at threat as well as courting civil and class actions by consumers who declare harm,' Glaser said. 'There is also some risk that state regulators and state chief law officers rope celeb endorsers into enforcement efforts for helping with prohibited [sports betting](http://milkywaystars.site/read-blog/3027_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-hold-up-039-to-betting-crackdown.html).'
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New YorkNBADrakeParis Hilton
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