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 gaming.<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>No, they weren't personally in participation, but the world-famous celebrities were of in a slide discussion on social and sweepstakes casinos - the questionable websites providing both totally free casino-style video games and financially rewarding 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 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 websites are just two cogs in the multibillion-dollar market that now discovers itself besieged by lawsuits. In the eyes of lots of gaming corporations, not to point out lawsuit plaintiffs and state regulators, sweepstakes gambling establishments serve as conventional casinos, only without the oversight, consumer securities and tax laws. So not just can they prevent the high 24-percent federal gambling levy, however sweepstakes operators aren't based on regulatory obstacles like anti-money laundering and responsible-gaming defenses.<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 faces accusations of illegal gaming in a New york city suit that claims VGW uses celeb endorsers to 'develop a veneer of authenticity' around its item. (See VGW's declaration listed below)<br>
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<br>'I'm unsure" if you don't trust us, you can trust Paris Hilton" is a winning message for companies running 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, told DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes endorsers consist of a variety of celebrities from gambling lovers Drake and DJ Khaled to swimmer Michael Phelps, in addition to NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and [Paul George](https://africasfaces.com/read-blog/5876_how-to-attract-users-to-my-fantasy-sports-platform.html) - none of whom provide any distinctions in between standard gambling and [sweepstakes play](https://www.kuyasia.com/read-blog/79_why-every-cricket-fan-must-try-the-all-cricket-id-gaming-platform.html).<br>
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<br>Paris Hilton is seen plugging Wow Vegas, among lots of sweepstakes gambling establishments found online<br>
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<br>Ryan Seacrest advises fans to play at Chumba Casino, where lots of - however not all - games are [totally](https://stadtbahn-bi.wiki/wiki/Benutzer:KamBurford62) free<br>
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<br>Drake has a handle social sweeps casino, Stake, that he frequently promotes on social networks<br>
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<br>Learn 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 generally focus around the social aspect of the casinos, while leaving out the potential for actual [sports betting](https://travel-friends.net/read-blog/1074_the-history-of-the-nfl-and-how-to-bet-on-it.html) losses.<br>
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<br>Others lure clients with pledges of prizes. One such operator, Stake, ran a social media ad revealing off Drake's cars, aircrafts and mansions before rotating to video footage of the rap artist playing online casino-style video games.<br>
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<br>'Daddy, why do we have a lot cash?' read the very first caption on the screen.<br>
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<br>Another caption explained: 'Because I never quit.'<br>
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<br>The disparity in between gaming websites and social or sweepstakes casinos is a bit complicated, however operators of the latter insist they're not included 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 competition with online gambling establishments and sportsbooks. Furthermore, according to SPGA information, the majority of the players on social-sweepstakes casinos are playing for free.<br>
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<br>'Most social sweeps customers never ever purchase,' the SPGA spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 'The minority of consumers who make purchases do so in quantities far smaller than the normal deposit or bet size at real-money online [sports betting](https://philadelphiaflyersclub.com/read-blog/8449_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-us-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) websites.'<br>
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<br>Social gambling establishments provide consumers a possibility to play casino-style video games with pals. Players have the alternative to buy valueless currency often [referred](https://skylockr.app/read-blog/178_things-you-need-to-learn-about-rafting-adventures.html) to as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged for real cash, however can be utilized to unlock numerous features within the games.<br>
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<br>But within the world of social gambling establishments exists sweepstakes video gaming, enabling consumers to obtain other currency known as 'sweeps coins' that can be exchanged for cash or other prizes.<br>
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<br>And therein lies the capacity for financial losses, like the ones claimed by complainants in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York City. One player informed the [Washington Post](https://welcometohaiti.com/read-blog/15860_score-big-wins-how-sports-betting-software-drives-growth-and-engagement.html) he lost more than $100,000 on sweepstakes gambling establishments in the previous year after continuing to buy more coins in [pursuit](https://ou812chat.com/read-blog/10089_for-sports-gambling-to-be-legalised.html) of money and other things of worth.<br>
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<br>The Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George is seen promoting a Worldwide Poker occasion<br>
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<br>Social sweeps gambling establishment Stake ran an advertisement flaunting Drake's automobiles, aircrafts and estates<br>
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<br>[Karl-Anthony Towns](https://www.athleticzoneforum.com/read-blog/754_sport-betting-industry-seeks-to-protect-itself.html) 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 prohibited in all but seven states, which has assisted to sustain 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, websites like Chumba will request for IDs from gamers attempting to withdraw any funds.<br>
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<br>Many sites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, enable customers to submit mail-in ask for totally free sweeps coins, provided the players follow painfully specific instructions. What's more, players are often [rewarded](https://ishare.igrowtech.biz/read-blog/5342_how-much-are-americans-spending-on-sports-betting.html) with sweeps coins simply for signing up, therefore giving them a factor to attempt their hands at any number of gambling establishment video games for an opportunity to win - or lose - real money.<br>
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<br>So why are sweepstakes sites permitted to run in 48 states, while online casinos are prohibited in all however 7?<br>
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<br>According to the stakeholders, their item is the totally free casino-style video gaming, and the real-stakes competitors is just a means of promoting their bread and butter.<br>
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<br>'Social sweepstakes games are merely a form of online entertainment,' an SPGA spokesperson informed DailyMail.com by email. 'No purchase is required to dip into social gambling establishments with sweepstakes rewards. Consumers never need to pay for a chance to win rewards. That absence of a purchase requirement - or" consideration" - is a vital distinction between social sweeps and conventional online gambling websites like gambling establishments.'<br>
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<br>Think of 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 purchasing hamburgers and french fries that offer them the opportunity to win financially rewarding rewards, 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 doesn't [fulfill](https://bbarlock.com/index.php/User:RenateYja1823082) the definition of [sports betting](https://messengerkivu.com/read-blog/2362_tennessee-sports-betting-top-4-legal-betting-sites-in-2024.html) in the US.<br>
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<br>'Sweepstakes are an enduring technique for promoting all sort of everyday services in the United States, whatever from hamburgers to publication memberships to coffee and home improvement stores,' the SPGA spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promotions are frequently utilized 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 [sports betting](https://chateando.net/read-blog/229_sport-betting-industry-wants-to-protect-itself.html) industry insiders, that argument doesn't cut it.<br>
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<br>For starters, gaming lawyer 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](https://farmwoo.com/read-blog/9519_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-delay-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) like french fries, shakes, and the Filet-O-Fish.<br>
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<br>'They do not last forever and they're normally not connected to casino-style games of chance,' Wallach informed DailyMail.com. 'They're simply money giveaways.<br>
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<br>'The sweepstakes [casinos] possess none of the attributes typically connected with McDonald's-style sweepstakes promotions,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in perpetuity, the sweepstakes casinos provide" casino-like" payments, typically 80 percent or more of profits, whereas the typical payout percentage for a short-term advertising sweepstakes is an insignificant share of the profits made by the [business](https://onetable.world/read-blog/103125_how-much-are-americans-investing-in-sports-betting.html) [normally less than one percent]'<br>
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<br>Wallach fasts to liken the online social sweeps casinos to the internet coffee shops that sprang up in Florida, offering clients the chance to play casino-style games for genuine prizes. A number of those brick-and-mortar establishments have actually since been shuttered over accusations of unlawful [sports betting](https://www.hb9lc.org/wiki/index.php/User:SharynCross09).<br>
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<br>DJ Khaled is among a number of celeb spokespeople for VGW's Global Poker brand name<br>
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<br>Now, Wallach argues, social sweeps gambling establishments ought to face [comparable scrutiny](https://forum.subchems.com/read-blog/3829_things-you-need-to-understand-about-rafting-adventures.html).<br>
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<br>'These distinctions are not approximate,' Wallach stated of social sweeps casinos. 'They have actually repeatedly been cited by courts and state attorney general of the United States as key consider figuring out that a sweepstakes promo was in fact a guise for prohibited [sports betting](http://woorichat.com/read-blog/10320_warner-bros-discovery-sets-stage-for-potential-cable-deal-by.html).'<br>
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<br>One of the casino market's leading trade organizations, the American Gaming Association, is now pressing legislators to examine sweepstakes operators and, sometimes, enact new legislation on the problem.<br>
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<br>'Consumers are being denied of protections and states are giving up significant tax and earnings chances as this gaming changes that conducted through regulated channels,' read a well-circulated AGA memo.<br>
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<br>And after that there are the plaintiffs who have sued social gambling establishments in more than a dozen states.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes gambling establishment operators paid a combined $14.2 million in four different cases in Kentucky without admitting any misbehavior, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile VGW accepted pay $11.75 million in one class-action lawsuit, saying the settlement was made to prevent legal costs and continued lawsuits.<br>
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<br>Michael Phelps has actually signed an offer with the VGW Group, which owns Global Poker<br>
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<br>In the current lawsuit, which is largely comparable to its predecessors, New york city state locals Lamar Prater and Rebecca Pratt both declare to have lost well over $1,000 to VGW, which is described in the filing as an 'unlawful gambling business. '<br>
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<br>Apple and Google have actually also been called as accuseds in claims for hosting the sweepstakes sites. But unlike VGW, neither tech company responded to DailyMail.com's request for remark.<br>
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<br>'We normally do not talk about matters before the courts,' a VGW spokesperson informed DailyMail.com via email. 'However, we keep in mind that this claim has actually only just been [submitted](https://www.proathletediscuss.com/read-blog/450_online-betting-firms-gamble-on-soccer-mad-nigeria.html) 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 operate, and remain confident about the future,' the representative continued. 'We continue to provide our free-to-play games across many of North America, as we have for more than a years, producing not only fantastic games, user experiences and home entertainment, however also ensuring this is done securely, properly and at the highest level of requirements.<br>
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<br>'More broadly, we 'd reiterate that class actions and other litigations and arbitrations are fairly typical throughout the online social video games industry (and the US more broadly), and our basic practice is that we mean to intensely safeguard any claim which may be brought versus us.'<br>
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<br>The issues between standard online [sports betting](https://wiki.rrtn.org/wiki/index.php/User:AudreyWallner) and sweepstakes casinos might prove 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 name while the NBA is partnered with conventional video gaming titans like FanDuel and DraftKings.<br>
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<br>'It's paradoxical that professional athletes are hawking unlawful [sports betting](https://gayplatform.de/read-blog/3783_why-every-cricket-fan-should-try-the-all-cricket-id-gaming-platform.html) 'sweeps' websites while at the very same time the leagues want to project a strong position versus illegal gambling - particularly when trying to tamp down the periodic gaming scandal,' Glaser told DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>It was just 8 months ago that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter got a life time restriction from the NBA over [allegations](https://seenoor.com/read-blog/441_things-you-need-to-know-about-rafting-adventures.html) he conspired with gamblers. However, to be clear, Porter's scandal is unassociated to anything including social or sweepstakes casinos.<br>
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<br>Together with VGW, Apple and Google are being taken legal action against for hosting apparently prohibited gambling sites<br>
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<br>Regardless, Glaser sees sweepstakes gambling establishments as a major issue for leagues such as the NBA.<br>
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<br>'I 'd expect that a league crackdown on professional athletes backing sweepstakes sites is a matter of when, not if,' Glaser included.<br>
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<br>Neither an NBA spokesman nor the gamers' agents reacted to DailyMail.com's [requests](https://wheeoo.com/read-blog/57802_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-us-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) for comment. For that matter, [spokespeople](https://hyped4gamers.com/read-blog/2416_missouri-sports-betting-ballot-measure-approved-by-voters.html) for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, Seacrest and Phelps also ignored to respond to DailyMail.com e-mails.<br>
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<br>Asked if their celeb endorsers have an obligation to [discuss](https://accc.rcec.sinica.edu.tw/mediawiki/index.php?title=User:DemiElmer2043) to clients the differences and resemblances in between iGaming and sweepstakes casinos, VGW firmly [insisted](https://trackrecord.id/read-blog/1809_missouri-sports-betting-ballot-measure-approved-by-voters.html) there is absolutely nothing more that requires to be done.<br>
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<br>'We have complete confidence in our influencer and ambassadorial collaborations, and our company practices more broadly,' the spokesperson stated. 'Some of our worths are" our gamers precede" 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 prohibited gaming sites are, at a minimum, putting their reputations at danger as well as courting civil and class actions by consumers who allege damage,' Glaser said. 'There is likewise some danger that state regulators and state lawyers basic rope celeb endorsers into enforcement efforts for assisting in prohibited gambling.'<br>
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<br>New YorkNBADrakeParis Hilton<br>
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