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 unlawful gambling.<br>
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<br>No, they weren't personally in participation, however the world-famous celebrities were notably consisted of in a slide discussion on social and sweepstakes gambling establishments - the controversial sites providing both [complimentary casino-style](https://social.stssconstruction.com/read-blog/21043_the-ins-and-outs-of-betting-on-the-nfl-draft.html) video games and profitable prizes, such as cash, present cards or cryptocurrency. In one advertisement, the fist-pumping Seacrest is seen plugging Chumba Casino, where anybody can 'play for totally 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 two cogs in the multibillion-dollar industry that now finds itself besieged by suits. In the eyes of lots of gaming corporations, not to discuss claim plaintiffs and state regulators, sweepstakes gambling establishments act as traditional gambling establishments, only without the oversight, consumer defenses and tax laws. So not only can they prevent the steep 24-percent federal [sports betting](https://kiigasofthub.com/read-blog/10096_sweepstakes-casino-controversy-and-celebrities-039-all-important-role.html) levy, but sweepstakes operators aren't subject to regulative 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 in 2015 alone. Now the company deals with allegations of unlawful [sports betting](https://socialsmerch.com/read-blog/10517_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-delay-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) in a New York lawsuit that claims VGW utilizes celebrity endorsers to 'develop a veneer of authenticity' around its product. (See VGW's declaration below)<br>
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<br>'I'm uncertain" if you don't trust us, you can trust Paris Hilton" is a winning message for business operating multibillion-dollar prohibited operations out of locations like Malta, Isle of Man, or US mail drops,' Friday's presenter, Howard Glaser of gaming corporation Light & Wonder, informed DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes endorsers include a variety of celebrities from gambling lovers Drake and DJ Khaled to swimmer Michael Phelps, along with NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George - none of whom offer any differences between standard gaming and sweepstakes play.<br>
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<br>Paris Hilton is seen plugging Wow Vegas, among lots of sweepstakes gambling establishments discovered online<br>
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<br>Ryan Seacrest urges fans to dip into Chumba Casino, where lots of - however not all - video games are free<br>
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<br>Drake has a deal with social sweeps casino, Stake, that he frequently promotes on social media<br>
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<br>Read 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, ads generally focus around the social element of the casinos, while leaving out the capacity for real [sports betting](https://cheere.org/read-blog/36275_missouri-sports-betting-ballot-measure-approved-by-voters.html) losses.<br>
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<br>Others tempt clients with promises of prizes. One such operator, Stake, ran a social media ad flaunting Drake's cars, planes and mansions before pivoting to video footage of the rapper playing online casino-style video 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 discussed: 'Because I never ever offered up.'<br>
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<br>The disparity in between gaming websites and social or sweepstakes gambling establishments is a bit complex, but [operators](https://tartar.app/read-blog/1719_begin-winning-with-pcg-college-football-picks.html) of the latter insist they're not included with the previous.<br>
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<br>A spokesperson for a market trade group, the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA), explained its members are not in direct competition with online casinos and sportsbooks. Furthermore, according to SPGA data, many of the players on social-sweepstakes casinos are [sports betting](https://www.yewiki.org/User:DamienCochran) free.<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/Bet9jaPromotionCodeYOHAIG)
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<br>'Most social sweeps customers never buy,' the SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com. 'The minority of customers who make purchases do so in amounts far smaller sized than the normal deposit or bet size at real-money online [sports betting](https://www.heesah.com/read-blog/2141_tennessee-sports-betting-top-4-legal-betting-sites-in-2024.html) sites.'<br>
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<br>Social gambling establishments use clients an opportunity to play casino-style games with pals. Players have the choice to buy valueless currency often referred to as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged for real money, however can be utilized to open numerous features within the games.<br>
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<br>But within the world of social casinos exists sweepstakes gaming, allowing consumers to [acquire](https://pipewiki.org/wiki/index.php/User:DannyPope544) other currency known as that can be exchanged for money or other rewards.<br>
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<br>And therein lies the potential for financial losses, like the ones claimed by complainants in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York City. One player told 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 76[ers' Paul](https://voggisper.com/read-blog/1228_score-big-wins-how-sports-betting-software-drives-growth-and-engagement.html) George is seen promoting an International Poker occasion<br>
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<br>Social sweeps gambling establishment Stake ran an advertisement displaying Drake's automobiles, aircrafts 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 gambling establishments are banned in all however seven states, which has actually assisted to fuel the appeal of sweepstakes gambling establishments.<br>
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<br>Anyone over the age of 18 can access the sweepstakes websites, which don't need normally need identification. However, sites like Chumba will request IDs from players trying to withdraw any funds.<br>
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<br>Many sites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, permit consumers to submit mail-in requests for free sweeps coins, supplied the players follow painfully particular guidelines. What's more, gamers are often rewarded with sweeps coins merely for signing up, therefore providing a factor to try their hands at any variety of casino video games for a chance to win - or lose - genuine money.<br>
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<br>So why are sweepstakes [websites allowed](https://genzkenya.co.ke/read-blog/90_score-big-wins-how-sports-betting-software-drives-growth-and-engagement.html) to operate in 48 states, while online casinos are banned in all but 7?<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>According to the stakeholders, their product is the complimentary casino-style video gaming, and the real-stakes competition is merely a means of promoting their bread and butter.<br>
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<br>'Social sweepstakes video games are simply a kind of online entertainment,' an SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com by e-mail. ['No purchase](https://younivix.com/read-blog/29883_why-every-cricket-fan-should-try-the-all-cricket-id-gaming-platform.html) is required to play at social casinos with sweepstakes prizes. Consumers never ever need to pay for a chance to win rewards. That absence of a purchase requirement - or" factor to consider" - is an essential difference in between social sweeps and traditional online [sports betting](https://www.heesah.com/read-blog/2212_the-ins-and-outs-of-betting-on-the-nfl-draft.html) websites like casinos.'<br>
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<br>Think about the manner in which McDonald's uses its yearly Monopoly game to promote its food: Customers aren't paying to bet, but rather they're buying hamburgers and fries that offer them the opportunity to win profitable prizes, such as a $1 million jackpot.<br>
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<br>And without a purchase requirement, or 'consideration', the game itself doesn't fulfill the meaning of gaming in the US.<br>
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<br>'Sweepstakes are an enduring approach for promoting all kinds of [daily services](https://tartar.app/read-blog/1719_begin-winning-with-pcg-college-football-picks.html) in the United States, everything from burgers to magazine memberships to coffee and home enhancement shops,' the SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promotions are routinely utilized by a who's who of household names like AT&T, Chase, Home Depot, Marriott, Starbucks, and Wal-Mart.'<br>
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<br>But to [numerous gambling](http://famedoot.in/read-blog/104_how-much-are-americans-spending-on-sports-betting.html) industry experts, that argument doesn't cut it.<br>
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<br>For beginners, video gaming lawyer Daniel Wallach mentions, McDonald's Monopoly game doesn't run forever. 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 utilized to promote real items like french fries, shakes, and the Filet-O-Fish.<br>
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<br>'They do not last forever and they're typically not connected to casino-style video games of chance,' Wallach informed DailyMail.com. 'They're simply cash free gifts.<br>
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<br>'The sweepstakes [casinos] have none of the characteristics typically related to McDonald's-style sweepstakes promotions,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in eternity, the sweepstakes gambling establishments offer" casino-like" payouts, normally 80 percent or more of profits, whereas the typical payment portion for a short-lived advertising sweepstakes is a trivial share of the profits earned by the business [normally less than one percent]'<br>
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<br>Wallach fasts to liken the online social sweeps casinos to the web coffee shops that sprang up in Florida, providing clients the possibility to play casino-style video games for genuine prizes. A number of those brick-and-mortar facilities have actually since been shuttered over claims of illegal gambling.<br>
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<br>DJ Khaled is among a number of star spokespeople for VGW's Global Poker brand<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>Now, Wallach argues, social sweeps gambling establishments ought to face comparable examination.<br>
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<br>'These differences are not approximate,' Wallach stated of social sweeps casinos. 'They have actually repeatedly been pointed out by courts and state lawyer generals as key consider figuring out that a sweepstakes promotion was in fact a guise for prohibited gambling.'<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>Among the gambling establishment market's leading trade companies, the American Gaming Association, is now pressing lawmakers to investigate sweepstakes operators and, sometimes, enact new legislation on the issue.<br>
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<br>'Consumers are being deprived of securities and states are [passing](https://wiki.vifm.info/index.php/User:AngelinaForshee) up substantial tax and income chances as this gaming changes that carried out through managed channels,' read a well-circulated AGA memo.<br>
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<br>And then there are the plaintiffs who have sued social gambling establishments in more than a dozen states.<br>
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<br>[Sweepstakes gambling](https://iuridictum.pecina.cz/w/U%C5%BEivatel:RachelPate3166) establishment operators paid a combined $14.2 million in 4 separate cases in Kentucky without confessing any misdeed, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile VGW agreed to pay $11.75 million in one class-action claim, saying the settlement was made to prevent legal costs and continued lawsuits.<br>
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<br>Michael Phelps has signed a handle the VGW Group, which owns Global Poker<br>
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<br>In the most recent lawsuit, which is mainly similar to its predecessors, New York state residents Lamar Prater and [Rebecca Pratt](https://uptoscreen.com/read-blog/74329_why-every-cricket-fan-need-to-try-the-all-cricket-id-gaming-platform.html) both claim to have actually lost well over $1,000 to VGW, which is described in the filing as an 'unlawful [sports betting](https://netgork.com/read-blog/111615_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-hold-up-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) enterprise. '<br>
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<br>Apple and Google have actually likewise been called as defendants in suits for hosting the sweepstakes sites. But unlike VGW, neither tech company reacted to DailyMail.com's ask for comment.<br>
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<br>'We normally don't talk about matters before the courts,' a VGW spokesperson told [DailyMail](https://wow.twinear.com/read-blog/1005_warner-bros-discovery-sets-stage-for-potential-cable-deal-by.html).com via 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.<br>
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<br>'We have complete self-confidence in our compliance with all laws and policies where we run, and stay confident about the future,' the representative continued. 'We continue to provide our free-to-play games throughout many of North America, as we have for more than a decade, creating not only great games, user experiences and home entertainment, however also guaranteeing this is done safely, responsibly and at the greatest level of standards.<br>
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<br>'More broadly, we 'd repeat that class actions and other lawsuits and arbitrations are reasonably typical across the online social games market (and the US more broadly), and our standard practice is that we mean to strongly defend any claim which may be brought versus us.'<br>
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<br>The problems in between conventional online gaming and sweepstakes gambling [establishments](https://projectblueberryserver.com/index.php/User:ValenciaLavallee) might prove troublesome for some celebrity endorsers.<br>
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<br>Towns, a star center with the Knicks, and the 76ers' George both endorse VGW's Global Poker brand 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 illegal [sports betting](https://reckoningz.com/things-you-need-to-know-about-rafting-adventures/) 'sweeps' websites while at the very same time the leagues desire to forecast a strong stance versus prohibited gaming - especially when attempting to tamp down the periodic gambling scandal,' Glaser informed DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>It was simply eight months ago that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter received a life time ban from the NBA over accusations he conspired with bettors. However, to be clear, Porter's scandal is unassociated to anything including social or sweepstakes casinos.<br>
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<br>In addition to VGW, Apple and Google are being demanded hosting apparently illegal gambling sites<br>
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<br>Regardless, Glaser sees [sweepstakes gambling](http://famedoot.in/read-blog/93_sweepstakes-casino-controversy-and-celebrities-039-all-important-role.html) establishments as a major concern for leagues such as the NBA.<br>
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<br>'I 'd anticipate that a league crackdown on professional athletes endorsing sweepstakes sites refers when, not if,' Glaser included.<br>
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<br>Neither an NBA representative nor the gamers' agents reacted to DailyMail.com's demands for comment. For that matter, spokespeople for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, [Seacrest](http://www.seferpanim.com/read-blog/343_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) and Phelps also [overlooked](https://sfqatest.sociofans.com/read-blog/674_how-much-are-americans-investing-in-sports-betting.html) to react to DailyMail.com e-mails.<br>
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<br>Asked if their celebrity endorsers have a duty to explain to clients the differences and resemblances in between iGaming and sweepstakes casinos, VGW firmly 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 company practices more broadly,' the representative said. 'Some of our values are" our gamers come initially" 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 in a different way.<br>
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<br>'Celebrities who lend their names to dubious illegal gaming sites are, at a minimum, putting their credibilities at danger in addition to courting civil and class actions by consumers who declare harm,' Glaser said. 'There is also some threat that state regulators and state lawyers basic rope star endorsers into enforcement efforts for facilitating prohibited gaming.'<br>
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