Add Sweepstakes Casino Controversy - And Celebrities' All-important Role
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<br>The smiling faces of Paris Hilton and Ryan [Seacrest](https://mixup.wiki/index.php/User:OliviaRosanove0) made surprise appearances before the Louisiana Senate for Friday's hearing on illegal [sports betting](https://reckoningz.com/sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-hold-up-to-betting-crackdown-2/).<br>
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<br>No, they weren't personally in attendance, but the world-famous celebs were conspicuously included in a [slide presentation](https://cristianoronaldoclub.com/read-blog/10046_online-betting-firms-gamble-on-soccer-mad-nigeria.html) on social and sweepstakes casinos - the controversial sites using both complimentary casino-style games and financially rewarding rewards, such as cash, gift cards or cryptocurrency. In one ad, the fist-pumping Seacrest is seen plugging Chumba Casino, where anybody can 'bet 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 2 cogs in the multibillion-dollar industry that now finds itself besieged by lawsuits. In the eyes of many video gaming corporations, not to discuss suit plaintiffs and state regulators, sweepstakes gambling establishments serve as standard casinos, only without the oversight, customer protections and tax laws. So not only can they prevent the high 24-percent federal [sports betting](https://kiigasofthub.com/read-blog/10103_score-big-wins-how-sports-betting-software-drives-growth-and-engagement.html) levy, but sweepstakes operators aren't based on regulatory difficulties 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 earnings last year alone. Now the company deals with accusations of unlawful gambling in a New York suit that claims VGW utilizes star endorsers to 'create a veneer of authenticity' around its item. (See VGW's statement listed below)<br>
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<br>'I'm unsure" if you do not trust us, you can rely on Paris Hilton" is a winning message for business running 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, told DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes endorsers include a variety of stars from Drake and DJ Khaled to swimmer Michael Phelps, as well as NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and [Paul George](https://ai.villas/read-blog/60120_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) - none of whom offer any distinctions in between conventional gambling and sweepstakes play.<br>
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<br>Paris Hilton is seen plugging Wow Vegas, among numerous sweepstakes gambling establishments discovered online<br>
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<br>Ryan Seacrest prompts 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 regularly promotes on social media<br>
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<br>Read 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 normally focus around the social aspect of the gambling establishments, while leaving out the potential for actual [sports betting](https://surgiteams.com/index.php/User:KathrynTiffany9) losses.<br>
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<br>Others lure consumers with promises of rewards. One such operator, Stake, ran a social networks advertisement flaunting Drake's cars, aircrafts and mansions before pivoting to video of the rap artist playing online casino-style games.<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/Bet9jaPromotionCodeYOHAIG)
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<br>'Daddy, why do we have so much money?' read the very first caption on the screen.<br>
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<br>Another caption discussed: 'Because I never ever quit.'<br>
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<br>The inconsistency in between [sports betting](https://oeclub.org/index.php/User:CamilleBrubaker) websites and social or sweepstakes gambling establishments is a bit intricate, however operators of the latter insist they're not included with the previous.<br>
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<br>A representative for an industry 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 data, many of the players on social-sweepstakes gambling establishments are [sports betting](http://www.seferpanim.com/read-blog/355_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-us-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) complimentary.<br>
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<br>'Most social sweeps clients never ever make a purchase,' the SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com. 'The minority of clients who make purchases do so in amounts far smaller than the typical deposit or wager size at real-money online [sports betting](https://infinirealm.com/read-blog/8246_for-sports-gambling-to-be-legalised.html) sites.'<br>
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<br>Social casinos use clients a possibility to play casino-style video games with buddies. Players have the alternative to purchase worthless currency typically described as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged genuine cash, however can be utilized to unlock various features within the games.<br>
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<br>But within the world of social gambling establishments exists sweepstakes video gaming, allowing clients to obtain other currency called 'sweeps coins' that can be exchanged for cash or other prizes.<br>
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<br>And therein lies the potential for monetary 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 a Worldwide Poker occasion<br>
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<br>Social sweeps gambling establishment Stake ran an ad displaying Drake's automobiles, airplanes and estates<br>
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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 but 7 states, which has actually assisted to fuel the appeal of sweepstakes gambling [establishments](http://www.vmeste-so-vsemi.ru/wiki/%D0%A3%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA:DeloresDowning0).<br>
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<br>Anyone over the age of 18 can access the sweepstakes sites, which do not need usually need recognition. However, sites like Chumba will request IDs from gamers attempting to withdraw any funds.<br>
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<br>Many sites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, permit clients to send mail-in requests for totally free sweeps coins, offered the players follow painfully particular directions. What's more, gamers are typically rewarded with sweeps coins simply for registering, thus giving them a reason to try their hands at any number of gambling establishment games for a possibility to win - or lose - [genuine](http://classicalmusicmp3freedownload.com/ja/index.php?title=%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E8%80%85:AmelieVanover48) cash.<br>
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<br>So why are sweepstakes websites permitted to run in 48 states, while online casinos are banned in all however 7?<br>
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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](http://www.yasunli.co.id/Yasunli/wikipedia/index.php/Pengguna:RoxanneCrace0) are simply a kind of online entertainment,' an SPGA representative told DailyMail.com by email. 'No purchase is required to dip into social casinos with sweepstakes prizes. Consumers never have to spend for a chance to win rewards. That lack of a purchase requirement - or" factor to consider" - is a crucial difference between social sweeps and conventional online gaming sites like gambling establishments.'<br>
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<br>Think of the way that McDonald's uses its yearly Monopoly game to promote its food: Customers aren't paying to gamble, but rather they're buying hamburgers and french fries that use them the chance to win profitable rewards, such as a $1 million prize.<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>And without a [purchase](https://fishtanklive.wiki/User:Neville7644) requirement, or 'consideration', the game itself doesn't meet the definition of gaming in the US.<br>
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<br>'Sweepstakes are a long-standing method for promoting all kinds of everyday businesses in the United States, whatever from hamburgers to publication subscriptions to coffee and home enhancement shops,' the SPGA spokesperson told [DailyMail](https://younivix.com/read-blog/29892_the-ins-and-outs-of-betting-on-the-nfl-draft.html).com. 'Sweepstakes promotions are regularly 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 market experts, that argument does not cut it.<br>
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<br>For starters, gaming attorney Daniel Wallach mentions, McDonald's Monopoly game doesn't run indefinitely. Rather, it has a well-defined start and end, thus suggesting the sweepstakes is not the fast-food giant's main product. Instead, the sweepstakes is being utilized to promote genuine products like fries, shakes, and the Filet-O-Fish.<br>
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<br>'They don't last forever and they're generally not tied to casino-style games of chance,' Wallach informed DailyMail.com. 'They're just money giveaways.<br>
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<br>'The sweepstakes [gambling establishments] have none of the characteristics typically connected with McDonald's-design sweepstakes promos,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in perpetuity, the sweepstakes gambling establishments offer" casino-like" payments, usually 80 percent or more of revenues, whereas the common payout portion for a short-lived promotional sweepstakes is an insignificant share of the [revenue earned](http://wiki-tb-service.com/index.php?title=Benutzer:RainaSumpter2) by the business [usually less than one percent]'<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/Bet9jaPromotionCodeYOHAIG)
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<br>Wallach is quick to compare the online social sweeps gambling establishments to the web cafes that emerged in Florida, using customers the opportunity to play casino-style games for genuine prizes. A number of those brick-and-mortar facilities have because been shuttered over accusations of unlawful gaming.<br>
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<br>DJ Khaled is amongst several celebrity 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 distinctions are not approximate,' Wallach said of social sweeps gambling establishments. 'They have consistently been [mentioned](https://pumasunamfansclub.com/read-blog/7183_for-sports-gambling-to-be-legalised.html) by courts and state attorney generals as key aspects in determining that a sweepstakes promotion remained in truth a guise for prohibited [sports betting](http://www.larsaluarna.se/index.php/User:OtiliaLamm931).'<br>
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<br>Among the gambling establishment market's leading trade companies, the American Gaming Association, is now pushing lawmakers to investigate sweepstakes operators and, sometimes, enact brand-new legislation on the concern.<br>
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<br>'Consumers are being deprived of protections and states are forgoing substantial tax and income chances as this gambling changes that conducted through regulated channels,' checked out a well-circulated AGA memo.<br>
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<br>And then there are the complainants who have taken legal action against social casinos in more than a lots states.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes casino operators paid a combined $14.2 million in 4 different 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 avoid legal expenses 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 latest claim, which is mainly similar to its predecessors, New York state locals Lamar Prater and Rebecca Pratt both declare to have actually lost well over $1,000 to VGW, which is explained in the filing as an 'illegal gaming business. '<br>
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<br>Apple and Google have actually likewise been called as offenders in claims for hosting the sweepstakes websites. 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 spokesperson told DailyMail.com by means of email. 'However, we keep in mind that this claim has only simply been filed with the court and VGW has not been formally served.<br>
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<br>'We have complete confidence in our compliance with all laws and [policies](https://wiki.vst.hs-furtwangen.de/wiki/User:AnnmarieCharles) where we operate, and stay confident about the future,' the spokesperson continued. 'We continue to offer our free-to-play video games across many of The United States and Canada, as we have for more than a decade, producing not just excellent video games, user experiences and home entertainment, but likewise guaranteeing 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 reasonably typical across the online social video games industry (and the US more broadly), and our basic practice is that we intend to vigorously protect any claim which might be brought against us.'<br>
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<br>The issues in between traditional online gambling and sweepstakes gambling establishments could show troublesome for some celeb 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 name 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 unlawful [sports betting](https://www.amedaychats.com/read-blog/743_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) wagering 'sweeps' websites while at the very same time the leagues desire to forecast a strong stance versus unlawful [sports betting](https://krazzykross.com/read-blog/1495_online-betting-firms-gamble-on-soccer-mad-nigeria.html) - particularly when attempting to tamp down the periodic gambling scandal,' Glaser told DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>It was just eight months ago that Toronto Raptors forward [Jontay Porter](https://wiki.streampy.at/index.php?title=User:HesterFairthorne) received a life time ban from the NBA over claims he conspired with gamblers. However, to be clear, Porter's scandal is unrelated to anything involving social or sweepstakes casinos.<br>
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<br>In addition to VGW, Apple and Google are being taken legal action against for hosting presumably unlawful [sports betting](https://infosocial.top/read-blog/4003_best-u-s-sports-betting-sites-amp-sportsbooks-for-2024.html) sites<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>Regardless, Glaser sees [sweepstakes casinos](https://eet3122salainf.sytes.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Usuario:BrentonBresnahan) as a major concern for leagues such as the NBA.<br>
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<br>'I 'd expect that a league crackdown on athletes endorsing sweepstakes sites refers when, not if,' Glaser added.<br>
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<br>Neither an NBA spokesperson nor the players' representatives reacted to DailyMail.com's ask for comment. For that matter, spokespeople for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, Seacrest and Phelps likewise overlooked to respond to DailyMail.com e-mails.<br>
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<br>Asked if their celeb endorsers have a duty to discuss to consumers the distinctions and similarities in between iGaming and sweepstakes casinos, VGW insisted there is absolutely nothing more that needs to be done.<br>
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<br>'We have complete confidence in our influencer and ambassadorial partnerships, and our organization practices more broadly,' the representative stated. 'Some of our values are" our gamers precede" and" we do what's right", and we put our values at the core of whatever we do.'<br>
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<br>Glaser, an outspoken opponent of sweepstakes sites, sees things in a different way.<br>
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<br>'Celebrities who provide their names to shady prohibited gaming websites are, at a minimum, putting their credibilities at danger along with courting civil and class actions by customers who allege harm,' Glaser stated. 'There is also some threat that state regulators and state attorney generals of the United States rope celebrity endorsers into enforcement efforts for assisting in prohibited gaming.'<br>
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<br>New YorkNBADrakeParis Hilton<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/Bet9jaPromotionCodeYOHAIG)
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