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 appearances before the Louisiana Senate for Friday's hearing on prohibited gambling.<br>
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<br>No, they weren't personally in attendance, but the world-famous celebrities were notably consisted of in a slide discussion on social and sweepstakes gambling establishments - the controversial sites using both totally free casino-style games and lucrative prizes, such as cash, gift cards or cryptocurrency. In one ad, the fist-pumping Seacrest is seen plugging Chumba Casino, where anyone can 'play for totally 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 simply two cogs in the multibillion-dollar market that now finds itself besieged by claims. In the eyes of lots of video gaming corporations, not to discuss claim plaintiffs and state regulators, sweepstakes casinos act as traditional casinos, only without the oversight, [customer securities](https://islider.ru/read-blog/37686_the-history-of-the-nfl-and-how-to-bet-on-it.html) and tax laws. So not just can they avoid the high 24-percent federal [sports betting](https://www.proathletediscuss.com/read-blog/419_how-to-withdraw-from-bet9ja-8-step-guide-to-money-in-your-wins.html) levy, but [sweepstakes operators](https://www.yewiki.org/User:TravisScholl016) aren't subject to regulative obstacles 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 income last year alone. Now the company deals with allegations of prohibited gaming in a New York claim that claims VGW uses star endorsers to 'develop a veneer of authenticity' around its item. (See VGW's statement 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 business running multibillion-dollar unlawful operations out of locations like Malta, Isle of Man, or US mail drops,' Friday's speaker, Howard Glaser of gaming corporation Light & Wonder, told DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes endorsers consist of a range of stars from [sports betting](https://social.mirrororg.com/read-blog/7679_for-sports-gambling-to-be-legalised.html) lovers Drake and DJ Khaled to swimmer Michael Phelps, in addition to NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George - none of whom use any distinctions in between traditional [sports betting](https://skylockr.app/read-blog/209_the-ins-and-outs-of-betting-on-the-nfl-draft.html) and sweepstakes play.<br>
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<br>Paris Hilton is seen plugging Wow Vegas, among numerous sweepstakes casinos found online<br>
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<br>Ryan Seacrest urges fans to dip into Chumba Casino, where many - however not all - video games are free<br>
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<br>Drake has an offer with social sweeps casino, Stake, that he frequently 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, ads usually focus around the social element of the casinos, while omitting the capacity for actual [sports betting](https://octomo.co.uk/read-blog/6566_things-you-need-to-learn-about-rafting-adventures.html) losses.<br>
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<br>Others lure clients with guarantees of rewards. One such operator, Stake, ran a social media ad displaying Drake's vehicles, planes and mansions before rotating to video 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 very first caption on the screen.<br>
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<br>Another caption explained: 'Because I never ever provided up.'<br>
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<br>The disparity in between gaming websites and social or sweepstakes casinos is a bit intricate, but operators of the latter insist they're not involved with the former.<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 casinos and sportsbooks. Furthermore, according to SPGA data, many of the players on social-sweepstakes casinos are [sports betting](https://welcometohaiti.com/read-blog/16697_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-delay-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) totally free.<br>
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<br>'Most social sweeps clients never ever buy,' the SPGA spokesperson informed DailyMail.com. 'The minority of customers who make purchases do so in amounts far smaller than the [typical deposit](https://oolibuzz.com/read-blog/41623_start-winning-with-pcg-college-football-picks.html) or bet size at real-money online gaming sites.'<br>
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<br>Social gambling establishments offer consumers an opportunity to play casino-style video games with friends. Players have the option to purchase worthless currency typically described as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged for genuine cash, but can be used to unlock different features within the games.<br>
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<br>But within the world of social gambling establishments exists sweepstakes video gaming, enabling customers to get other currency called 'sweeps coins' that can be exchanged for money or other prizes.<br>
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<br>And therein lies the potential for financial losses, like the ones claimed by plaintiffs in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York City. One gamer told the Washington Post he lost more than $100,000 on sweepstakes gambling establishments in the previous year after continuing to purchase more coins in pursuit of cash and other things of value.<br>
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<br>The Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George is seen promoting a Worldwide Poker event<br>
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<br>Social sweeps casino Stake ran an advertisement displaying Drake's vehicles, aircrafts 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 gambling establishments are banned in all however seven states, which has actually helped to sustain the appeal of sweepstakes casinos.<br>
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<br>Anyone over the age of 18 can access the sweepstakes sites, which don't require usually need recognition. However, sites like Chumba will request IDs from players attempting to withdraw any funds.<br>
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<br>Many sites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, permit consumers to send mail-in ask for complimentary sweeps coins, offered the gamers follow painfully specific instructions. What's more, gamers are often rewarded with sweeps coins merely for registering, consequently providing them a reason to try their hands at any variety of gambling establishment games for a possibility to win - or lose - genuine money.<br>
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<br>So why are sweepstakes sites allowed to run in 48 states, while online gambling establishments are prohibited in all however 7?<br>
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<br>According to the stakeholders, their item is the free casino-style gaming, and the real-stakes competition is merely a method of promoting their support.<br>
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<br>'Social sweepstakes games are merely a kind of online home entertainment,' an SPGA spokesperson told DailyMail.com by e-mail. 'No purchase is needed to play at social casinos with sweepstakes prizes. Consumers never ever need to spend for an opportunity to win prizes. That absence of a purchase requirement - or" consideration" - is a crucial distinction between social sweeps and standard online gaming websites like gambling establishments.'<br>
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<br>Think of the way that McDonald's uses its annual Monopoly game to promote its food: Customers aren't paying to bet, but rather they're buying hamburgers and french fries that offer them the opportunity to win financially rewarding rewards, such as a $1 million prize.<br>
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<br>And without a purchase requirement, or 'consideration', the game itself does not fulfill the meaning of gambling in the US.<br>
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<br>'Sweepstakes are a long-standing approach for promoting all type of daily services in the United States, whatever from hamburgers to to coffee and home improvement shops,' the SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promos are regularly 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 numerous gambling market insiders, that argument doesn't cut it.<br>
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<br>For beginners, video gaming lawyer Daniel Wallach mentions, McDonald's Monopoly [video game](https://chateando.net/read-blog/227_compare-amp-review-oddsjet-de.html) doesn't run forever. Rather, it has a well-defined start and end, consequently recommending the sweepstakes is not the fast-food giant's main item. Instead, the sweepstakes is being used to promote real items like fries, shakes, and the Filet-O-Fish.<br>
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<br>'They do not last permanently and they're normally not connected to casino-style games of chance,' Wallach informed DailyMail.com. 'They're simply money free gifts.<br>
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<br>'The sweepstakes [casinos] possess none of the attributes frequently connected with McDonald's-design sweepstakes promotions,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in perpetuity, the sweepstakes gambling establishments provide" casino-like" payments, generally 80 percent or more of incomes, whereas the common payout portion for a short-term marketing sweepstakes is an unimportant share of the revenue made by the company [usually less than one percent]'<br>
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<br>Wallach is quick to compare the online social sweeps gambling establishments to the internet cafes that emerged in Florida, offering clients the opportunity to play casino-style video games for genuine prizes. Many of those brick-and-mortar establishments have given that been shuttered over allegations of unlawful gaming.<br>
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<br>DJ Khaled is among several star spokespeople for VGW's Global Poker brand name<br>
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<br>Now, Wallach argues, social sweeps casinos must face comparable scrutiny.<br>
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<br>'These differences are not approximate,' Wallach said of social sweeps gambling establishments. 'They have actually repeatedly been mentioned by courts and state lawyer generals as essential consider determining that a sweepstakes promotion remained in truth a guise for unlawful [sports betting](https://cheere.org/read-blog/36282_for-sports-gambling-to-be-legalised.html).'<br>
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<br>One of the gambling establishment market's leading trade companies, the American Gaming Association, is now pressing lawmakers to investigate sweepstakes operators and, in some cases, enact brand-new legislation on the issue.<br>
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<br>'Consumers are being deprived of defenses and states are giving up significant tax and revenue chances as this gambling changes that performed through controlled channels,' read a well-circulated AGA memo.<br>
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<br>And then there are the complainants who have sued social casinos in more than a dozen states.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes gambling establishment operators paid a combined $14.2 million in four separate cases in Kentucky without admitting any misdeed, 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 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 newest claim, which is mainly similar to its predecessors, New york city state homeowners Lamar Prater and Rebecca Pratt both declare to have actually lost well over $1,000 to VGW, which is described in the filing as an 'illegal gaming business. '<br>
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<br>Apple and Google have actually likewise been called as defendants in claims for hosting the [sweepstakes sites](https://chateando.net/read-blog/217_score-big-wins-how-sports-betting-software-drives-growth-and-engagement.html). But unlike VGW, neither tech company reacted to DailyMail.com's ask for remark.<br>
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<br>'We typically do not talk about matters before the courts,' a VGW representative told DailyMail.com via e-mail. 'However, we keep in mind that this claim has actually only just been filed with the court and VGW has not been officially served.<br>
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<br>'We have full confidence in our compliance with all laws and regulations where we run, and remain positive about the future,' the spokesperson continued. 'We continue to use our free-to-play games throughout the majority of North America, as we have for more than a decade, developing not only terrific video games, user experiences and entertainment, but also guaranteeing this is done securely, responsibly and at the greatest level of standards.<br>
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<br>'More broadly, we 'd reiterate that class actions and other litigations and arbitrations are [fairly typical](http://www.vmeste-so-vsemi.ru/wiki/%D0%A3%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA:NoeC88089893) across the online social video games industry (and the US more broadly), and our [basic practice](https://moonifie.com/read-blog/1426_the-history-of-the-nfl-and-how-to-bank-on-it.html) is that we mean to vigorously protect any claim which might be brought versus us.'<br>
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<br>The problems in between conventional online gaming and sweepstakes gambling establishments might show bothersome for some star 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 traditional gaming titans like FanDuel and DraftKings.<br>
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<br>'It's paradoxical that expert athletes are hawking illegal [sports betting](https://www.opentx.cz/index.php/U%C5%BEivatel:Arnulfo02U) wagering 'sweeps' websites while at the exact same time the leagues wish to project a strong position against unlawful gambling - specifically when trying to tamp down the occasional gaming scandal,' Glaser told DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>It was simply eight months ago that Toronto Raptors forward [Jontay Porter](https://oeclub.org/index.php/User:MalorieGriffin9) received a life time restriction from the NBA over allegations he conspired with gamblers. However, to be clear, Porter's scandal is unrelated to anything including social or sweepstakes [casinos](https://olps.co.za/wiki/User:Jeffry2055).<br>
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<br>Together with VGW, Apple and Google are being sued for hosting supposedly illegal [sports betting](https://squishmallowswiki.com/index.php/User:KourtneyNiland) sites<br>
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<br>Regardless, Glaser sees sweepstakes gambling 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 backing [sweepstakes websites](https://flowsocial.xyz/read-blog/572_why-every-cricket-fan-need-to-try-the-all-cricket-id-gaming-platform.html) is a matter of when, not if,' Glaser included.<br>
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<br>Neither an NBA spokesperson nor the gamers' representatives reacted to DailyMail.com's ask for comment. For that matter, spokespeople for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, Seacrest and Phelps likewise ignored to react to DailyMail.com e-mails.<br>
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<br>Asked if their celeb endorsers have an obligation to discuss to customers the differences and similarities in between iGaming and [sweepstakes gambling](https://miderde.de/index.php?title=Benutzer:VeronaCjk705) establishments, VGW firmly 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 collaborations, and our business practices more broadly,' the spokesperson stated. 'Some of our worths are" our players 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 challenger of sweepstakes sites, sees things in a different way.<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/Bet9jaPromotionCodeYOHAIG)
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<br>'Celebrities who lend their names to shady illegal [sports betting](http://it-viking.ch/index.php/User:FeliciaMeares) websites are, at a minimum, putting their credibilities at risk in addition to courting civil and class [actions](http://woorichat.com/read-blog/10318_online-betting-firms-gamble-on-soccer-mad-nigeria.html) by customers who allege damage,' Glaser stated. 'There is also some risk that state regulators and state chief law officers rope celeb endorsers into enforcement efforts for facilitating unlawful gaming.'<br>
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<br>New YorkNBADrakeParis Hilton<br>
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