Add Sweepstakes Casino Controversy - And Celebrities' All-important Role
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[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/Bet9jaPromotionCodeYOHAIG)<br>The smiling faces of Paris Hilton and Ryan Seacrest made surprise looks before the Louisiana Senate for Friday's hearing on illegal gambling.<br>
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<br>No, they weren't personally in presence, however the world-famous celebrities were notably included in a slide presentation on social and sweepstakes gambling establishments - the controversial websites using both totally free casino-style games and rewarding prizes, such as cash, present cards or cryptocurrency. In one advertisement, the fist-pumping Seacrest is seen plugging Chumba Casino, where anybody can 'bet complimentary,' while a crop-topped Hilton holds a chip for [sweepstakes](https://origintraffic.com/read-blog/1688_sport-betting-industry-wants-to-protect-itself.html) operator, Wow Vegas, in the other.<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>The sites are simply two cogs in the multibillion-dollar market that now finds itself besieged by suits. In the eyes of many video gaming corporations, not to mention lawsuit complainants and state regulators, sweepstakes casinos serve as standard gambling establishments, just without the oversight, customer securities and tax laws. So not only can they avoid the high 24-percent federal [sports betting](https://fishtanklive.wiki/User:DeniceRidley984) levy, but sweepstakes operators aren't subject to regulatory hurdles 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 income last year alone. Now the [company](https://coptr.digipres.org/index.php/User:ZacSanor4211200) faces 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 suit that claims VGW uses star endorsers to 'create a veneer of legitimacy' around its item. (See VGW's declaration below)<br>
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<br>'I'm uncertain" if you do not trust us, you can rely on Paris Hilton" is a winning message for companies [running multibillion-dollar](https://cheere.org/read-blog/36304_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-delay-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) unlawful operations out of locations like Malta, Isle of Man, or US mail drops,' Friday's speaker, Howard Glaser of video gaming corporation Light & Wonder, informed DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes endorsers include a variety of celebs from [sports betting](https://thewion.com/read-blog/185972_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-united-states-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) enthusiasts Drake and DJ Khaled to swimmer Michael Phelps, as well as NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George - none of whom use any differences in between conventional gambling and sweepstakes play.<br>
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<br>Paris Hilton is seen [plugging](http://www.mizmiz.de/read-blog/77284_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) Wow Vegas, one of lots of sweepstakes casinos discovered online<br>
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<br>Ryan Seacrest urges fans to play at Chumba Casino, where many - but not all - games are complimentary<br>
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<br>Drake has a handle social sweeps gambling establishment, Stake, that he regularly touts on social networks<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](http://classicalmusicmp3freedownload.com/ja/index.php?title=%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E8%80%85:OlenTolentino) normally center around the social aspect of the casinos, while omitting the potential for actual gambling losses.<br>
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<br>Others lure consumers with pledges of rewards. One such operator, Stake, ran a social media ad displaying Drake's automobiles, planes and estates 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 money?' check out 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 disparity in between [sports betting](https://infinirealm.com/read-blog/8242_how-are-betting-odds-calculated.html) sites and social or sweepstakes casinos is a bit complicated, but operators of the latter insist they're not involved with the former.<br>
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<br>A spokesperson for a market trade group, the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA), discussed its members are not in direct competition with online casinos and sportsbooks. Furthermore, according to SPGA information, the majority of the players on [social-sweepstakes casinos](http://experienciacortazar.com.ar/wiki/index.php?title=Usuario:RamonWrixon34) are [sports betting](https://www.eruptz.com/read-blog/18019_sport-betting-industry-wants-to-protect-itself.html) free.<br>
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<br>'Most social sweeps consumers never ever buy,' the SPGA spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 'The minority of customers who make purchases do so in quantities far smaller than the typical deposit or wager size at real-money online gambling sites.'<br>
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<br>Social casinos offer clients an opportunity to play casino-style games with buddies. Players have the alternative to purchase worthless currency frequently described as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged for real cash, however can be used to open different features within the video games.<br>
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<br>But within the world of social casinos exists sweepstakes video gaming, permitting consumers to acquire other currency called 'sweeps coins' that can be exchanged for cash or other rewards.<br>
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<br>And therein lies the capacity for monetary 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 casinos in the past year after continuing to buy more coins in pursuit of money and other things of worth.<br>
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<br>The Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George is seen promoting a [Global Poker](https://trackrecord.id/read-blog/1813_how-much-are-americans-investing-in-sports-betting.html) event<br>
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<br>Social sweeps gambling [establishment Stake](https://www.sportfansunite.com/read-blog/240_the-history-of-the-nfl-and-how-to-bet-on-it.html) ran an ad displaying Drake's cars, planes and estates<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 casinos are banned in all however 7 states, which has actually [assisted](https://linkin.commoners.in/read-blog/25774_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-us-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) to sustain the popularity of sweepstakes casinos.<br>
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<br>Anyone over the age of 18 can access the sweepstakes sites, which do not require usually require identification. However, sites like Chumba will request IDs from gamers trying to withdraw any funds.<br>
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<br>Many websites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, permit clients to send mail-in demands for complimentary sweeps coins, offered the players follow painfully particular instructions. What's more, gamers are frequently rewarded with sweeps coins merely for registering, therefore offering them a factor to try their hands at any number of gambling establishment games for a chance to win - or lose - genuine money.<br>
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<br>So why are [sweepstakes sites](https://realhindu.in/read-blog/21495_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-hold-up-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) permitted to operate in 48 states, while online casinos are banned in all but 7?<br>
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<br>According to the stakeholders, their product is the free casino-style video gaming, and the real-stakes competition is merely a means of promoting their [support](https://cozwo.com/read-blog/8465_just-how-much-are-americans-investing-in-sports-betting.html).<br>
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<br>'Social sweepstakes games are merely a kind of online home entertainment,' an SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com by email. 'No purchase is required to play at social casinos with sweepstakes prizes. Consumers never ever need to pay for a chance to win prizes. That absence of a purchase requirement - or" consideration" - is a crucial distinction in between social sweeps and standard online gaming sites like gambling establishments.'<br>
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<br>Consider the way that McDonald's utilizes its yearly Monopoly video game to promote its food: Customers aren't paying to bet, however rather they're purchasing hamburgers and french fries that offer them the chance to win lucrative 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 meet the meaning of gaming in the US.<br>
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<br>'Sweepstakes are an enduring approach for promoting all sort of daily companies in the United States, everything from burgers to publication subscriptions to coffee and home enhancement stores,' the SPGA spokesperson informed DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promos are routinely 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 lots of [sports betting](https://www.fluencycheck.com/894584/the-history-of-the-nfl-and-how-to-bet-on-it) market experts, that argument doesn't cut it.<br>
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<br>For starters, gaming attorney Daniel Wallach explains, McDonald's Monopoly game does not run indefinitely. Rather, it has a distinct beginning and end, thereby suggesting the sweepstakes is not the fast-food giant's primary 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 normally not connected to casino-style video games of opportunity,' Wallach informed DailyMail.com. 'They're just money giveaways.<br>
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<br>'The sweepstakes [casinos] possess none of the qualities frequently connected with McDonald's-design sweepstakes promos,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in all time, the sweepstakes casinos offer" casino-like" payouts, usually 80 percent or more of earnings, whereas the normal payment percentage for a short-lived promotional sweepstakes is a minor share of the profits earned by the business [usually less than one percent]'<br>
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<br>Wallach fasts to liken the online social sweeps gambling establishments to the [web coffee](https://truthbook.social/read-blog/8628_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-us-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) shops that emerged in Florida, using clients the chance to play casino-style video games for genuine prizes. A number of those brick-and-mortar establishments have given that been shuttered over accusations of [prohibited gaming](https://www.hb9lc.org/wiki/index.php/User:ForrestCarmack9).<br>
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<br>DJ Khaled is among several star spokespeople for VGW's Global Poker brand<br>
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<br>Now, Wallach argues, social sweeps casinos ought to deal with comparable scrutiny.<br>
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<br>'These distinctions are not approximate,' Wallach stated of social sweeps casinos. 'They have actually consistently been mentioned by courts and state chief law officer as crucial factors in identifying that a sweepstakes promo remained in truth a guise for unlawful gaming.'<br>
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<br>One of the gambling establishment market's leading trade companies, the American Gaming Association, is now pressing legislators to investigate sweepstakes [operators](https://community.0dte.com/index.php?link1=read-blog&id=4_the-ins-and-outs-of-betting-on-the-nfl-draft.html) and, in many cases, enact brand-new legislation on the concern.<br>
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<br>'Consumers are being deprived of securities and states are forgoing substantial tax and revenue chances as this gaming changes that carried out through controlled channels,' read a well-circulated AGA memo.<br>
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<br>And after that there are the plaintiffs who have actually taken legal action against social gambling establishments in more than a dozen states.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes casino operators paid a combined $14.2 million in 4 separate cases in Kentucky without admitting any misbehavior, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile VGW consented to pay $11.75 million in one [class-action](https://twixxor.com/read-blog/8915_for-sports-gambling-to-be-legalised.html) claim, stating the settlement was made to avoid legal costs and continued litigation.<br>
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<br>Michael Phelps has signed an offer with the VGW Group, which owns Global Poker<br>
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<br>In the most recent suit, which is largely similar to its predecessors, New york city state locals Lamar Prater and Rebecca Pratt both claim to have actually lost well over $1,000 to VGW, which is described in the filing as an 'unlawful [sports betting](https://miderde.de/index.php?title=Benutzer:GavinAaron) business. '<br>
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<br>Apple and Google have likewise been called as defendants in claims for hosting the sweepstakes websites. But unlike VGW, neither tech company reacted to DailyMail.com's demand for comment.<br>
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<br>'We usually do not discuss matters before the courts,' a VGW representative informed DailyMail.com via email. 'However, we keep in mind 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 confidence in our compliance with all laws and regulations where we run, and remain positive about the future,' the spokesperson continued. 'We continue to offer our free-to-play video games across the majority of The United States and Canada, as we have for more than a decade, producing not only fantastic games, user and home entertainment, however also guaranteeing this is done securely, properly and at the greatest level of standards.<br>
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<br>'More broadly, we 'd restate that class actions and other lawsuits and arbitrations are fairly common across the online social games market (and the US more broadly), and our standard practice is that we plan to vigorously protect any claim which may be brought against us.'<br>
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<br>The problems between traditional online [sports betting](https://alumni.myra.ac.in/read-blog/148588_for-sports-gambling-to-be-legalised.html) and sweepstakes gambling establishments could show problematic 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 conventional gaming titans like FanDuel and DraftKings.<br>
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<br>'It's ironic that expert athletes are hawking prohibited [sports betting](https://web-chat.cloud/question2answer/index.php?qa=41254&qa_1=how-are-betting-odds-calculated) wagering 'sweeps' websites while at the very same time the leagues desire to forecast a strong position versus [illegal gaming](https://pittsburghpenguinsclub.com/read-blog/11701_the-ins-and-outs-of-betting-on-the-nfl-draft.html) - especially when trying to tamp down the occasional [sports betting](https://zamhi.net/read-blog/15_for-sports-gambling-to-be-legalised.html) scandal,' Glaser told DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>It was just 8 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 unrelated to anything involving social or sweepstakes casinos.<br>
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<br>Along with VGW, Apple and Google are being demanded hosting allegedly illegal gambling sites<br>
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<br>Regardless, Glaser sees sweepstakes gambling establishments as a major problem for leagues such as the NBA.<br>
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<br>'I 'd anticipate that a league crackdown on athletes endorsing sweepstakes websites refers when, not if,' Glaser added.<br>
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<br>Neither an NBA representative nor the [players'](http://yijichain.com/read-blog/15062_warner-bros-discovery-sets-stage-for-potential-cable-deal-by.html) representatives reacted to DailyMail.com's requests for comment. For that matter, spokespeople for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, Seacrest and Phelps likewise neglected to respond to DailyMail.com emails.<br>
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<br>Asked if their star endorsers have a responsibility to discuss to clients the distinctions and resemblances in between iGaming and sweepstakes casinos, VGW firmly insisted there is nothing more that needs to be done.<br>
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<br>'We have complete confidence in our influencer and ambassadorial collaborations, and our business practices more broadly,' the spokesperson stated. 'A few of our values are" our players come first" 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 in a different way.<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/AviatorGameOnlineBET9JA)
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<br>'Celebrities who lend their names to dubious illegal gambling sites are, at a minimum, putting their credibilities at threat as well as courting civil and class actions by consumers who declare damage,' Glaser said. 'There is also some threat that state regulators and state attorney generals of the United States rope star endorsers into enforcement efforts for helping with unlawful [sports betting](https://wiki.rrtn.org/wiki/index.php/User:EthanBlackwelder).'<br>
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