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 appearances before the Louisiana Senate for Friday's hearing on unlawful [sports betting](https://www.proathletediscuss.com/read-blog/413_tennessee-sports-betting-top-4-legal-betting-sites-in-2024.html).<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>No, they weren't personally in attendance, however the world-famous celebrities were conspicuously included in a slide presentation on social and sweepstakes gambling establishments - the controversial websites providing both free casino-style games and lucrative prizes, such as money, gift cards or cryptocurrency. In one ad, 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 sites are simply two cogs in the multibillion-dollar market that now finds itself besieged by lawsuits. In the eyes of many gaming corporations, not to mention suit plaintiffs and state regulators, sweepstakes casinos function as traditional casinos, only without the oversight, customer securities and tax laws. So not only can they prevent the steep 24-percent federal gambling levy, however sweepstakes operators aren't based on regulative obstacles 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 business deals with accusations of prohibited [sports betting](https://www.athleticzoneforum.com/read-blog/754_sport-betting-industry-seeks-to-protect-itself.html) in a New york city lawsuit that claims VGW utilizes celebrity endorsers to 'produce a veneer of authenticity' around its product. (See VGW's declaration listed below)<br>
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<br>'I'm not sure" if you do not trust us, you can trust Paris Hilton" is a winning message for business operating multibillion-dollar unlawful operations out of places 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 include a variety of stars from [sports betting](https://social.ishare.la/read-blog/1455_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) enthusiasts Drake and DJ Khaled to swimmer Michael Phelps, along with NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George - 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 casinos discovered online<br>
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<br>Ryan Seacrest [prompts](http://milkywaystars.site/read-blog/3060_how-to-withdraw-from-bet9ja-8-step-guide-to-money-in-your-wins.html) fans to dip into Chumba Casino, where numerous - however not all - video games are [totally](https://sabiile.com/read-blog/2134_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-hold-up-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) free<br>
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<br>Drake has a handle social sweeps casino, Stake, that he frequently promotes on social media<br>
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<br>Learn more<br>
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<br>[Donald Trump](https://terra.planetv.wtf/read-blog/680_.html) 'set to call NBA team owner as US ambassador to Italy'<br>
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<br>Instead, ads typically center around the social element of the casinos, while omitting the capacity for real gaming losses.<br>
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<br>Others lure customers with pledges of rewards. One such operator, Stake, ran a social networks ad displaying Drake's vehicles, aircrafts and mansions before rotating to footage of the rapper playing online casino-style video games.<br>
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<br>'Daddy, why do we have a lot money?' read the first caption on the screen.<br>
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<br>Another caption described: ['Because](https://www.opentx.cz/index.php/U%C5%BEivatel:LouisGleason216) I never quit.'<br>
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<br>The inconsistency in between gambling 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 spokesperson 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 information, most of the players on social-sweepstakes casinos are playing for totally free.<br>
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<br>'Most social sweeps consumers never buy,' the SPGA spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 'The minority of customers who make purchases do so in quantities far smaller sized than the common deposit or bet size at real-money online gaming websites.'<br>
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<br>Social gambling establishments use consumers a chance to [play casino-style](https://droidt99.com/read-blog/8208_how-much-are-americans-spending-on-sports-betting.html) games with friends. Players have the option to buy worthless currency frequently referred to as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged for real money, but can be used to unlock various features within the games.<br>
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<br>But within the world of social casinos exists sweepstakes video gaming, permitting consumers to get other currency [referred](https://mixup.wiki/index.php/User:PaulaHaverfield) to as '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 complainants in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York. One gamer told the Washington Post he lost more than $100,000 on sweepstakes casinos in the previous year after continuing to purchase 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 an International Poker event<br>
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<br>Social sweeps casino Stake ran an advertisement showing off Drake's automobiles, airplanes 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 prohibited in all but seven states, which has actually assisted to fuel the appeal of sweepstakes casinos.<br>
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<br>Anyone over the age of 18 can access the sweepstakes websites, which do not need normally require identification. However, websites like Chumba will request IDs from [players](http://wiki.die-karte-bitte.de/index.php/Benutzer_Diskussion:LucaWarby634) attempting to [withdraw](https://wavedream.wiki/index.php/User:LeonoraSerna) any funds.<br>
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<br>Many sites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, enable consumers to send mail-in ask for complimentary sweeps coins, offered the gamers follow painfully particular instructions. What's more, gamers are typically rewarded with sweeps coins merely for signing up, consequently offering them a factor to attempt their hands at any variety of gambling establishment video games for an opportunity to win - or lose - real cash.<br>
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<br>So why are sweepstakes websites permitted to operate in 48 states, while online gambling establishments are banned in all but 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 means of promoting their support.<br>
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<br>'Social sweepstakes video games are just a kind of online entertainment,' an SPGA spokesperson informed DailyMail.com by email. 'No purchase is required to play at social casinos with [sweepstakes](https://jamboz.com/read-blog/186_tennessee-sports-betting-top-4-legal-betting-sites-in-2024.html) prizes. Consumers never ever need to pay for an opportunity to win prizes. That absence of a purchase requirement - or" factor to consider" - is a crucial difference between social sweeps and standard online gaming websites like casinos.'<br>
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<br>Think of the manner in which [McDonald's utilizes](https://olps.co.za/wiki/User:LesMoreira4) its annual Monopoly game to promote its food: Customers aren't paying to gamble, but rather they're buying hamburgers and fries that provide them the chance to win rewarding prizes, such as a $1 million prize.<br>
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<br>And without a purchase requirement, or 'consideration', the [video game](https://forum.alwehdaclub.sa/read-blog/2469_why-every-cricket-fan-should-try-the-all-cricket-id-gaming-platform.html) itself doesn't meet the definition of [sports betting](https://social.concienciacasanare.com/read-blog/27_tennessee-sports-betting-top-4-legal-betting-sites-in-2024.html) in the US.<br>
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<br>'Sweepstakes are a long-standing approach for promoting all type of everyday companies in the United States, everything from [hamburgers](https://moonifie.com/read-blog/1404_warner-bros-discovery-sets-stage-for-potential-cable-deal-by.html) to publication subscriptions to coffee and home enhancement stores,' the SPGA spokesperson informed DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promotions are regularly used 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 [sports betting](https://kenyansocial.com/read-blog/1335_the-history-of-the-nfl-and-how-to-bet-on-it.html) industry experts, that argument doesn't cut it.<br>
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<br>For beginners, video gaming lawyer Daniel Wallach explains, McDonald's Monopoly game doesn't run indefinitely. Rather, it has a well-defined beginning and end, thereby 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 usually not connected to casino-style video games of chance,' Wallach informed DailyMail.com. 'They're just cash giveaways.<br>
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<br>'The sweepstakes [casinos] have none of the attributes frequently related to McDonald's-design sweepstakes promotions,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in eternity, the sweepstakes casinos offer" casino-like" payouts, generally 80 percent or more of profits, whereas the typical payout portion for a temporary advertising sweepstakes is a trivial share of the revenue made by the business [usually less than one percent]'<br>
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<br>Wallach fasts to compare the online social sweeps gambling establishments to the internet cafes that emerged in Florida, using customers the possibility to play casino-style video games for real rewards. A number of those brick-and-mortar establishments have considering that been shuttered over allegations of unlawful gambling.<br>
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<br>DJ Khaled is among numerous celeb spokespeople for VGW's Global Poker brand name<br>
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<br>Now, Wallach argues, social sweeps casinos need to face similar analysis.<br>
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<br>'These differences are not approximate,' Wallach said of social sweeps gambling establishments. 'They have repeatedly been cited by courts and state chief law officer as key consider figuring out that a sweepstakes promo was in reality a guise for unlawful [sports betting](https://ai.holiday/read-blog/12062_the-history-of-the-nfl-and-how-to-bank-on-it.html).'<br>
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<br>One of the casino industry's leading trade organizations, the American Gaming Association, is now pressing legislators to investigate sweepstakes operators and, in many cases, enact brand-new legislation on the issue.<br>
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<br>'Consumers are being deprived of defenses and states are [forgoing](https://customerscomm.com/read-blog/3752_warner-bros-discovery-sets-stage-for-potential-cable-deal-by.html) significant tax and income opportunities as this gaming replaces that carried out through managed channels,' checked out a well-circulated AGA memo.<br>
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<br>And after that there are the complainants who have sued 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 four separate cases in Kentucky without confessing any misdeed, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile VGW consented to pay $11.75 million in one class-action claim, stating the settlement was made to prevent legal expenses and continued litigation.<br>
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<br>Michael Phelps has signed a deal with the VGW Group, which owns Global Poker<br>
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<br>In the current lawsuit, which is mainly similar to its predecessors, New York state homeowners Lamar Prater and Rebecca Pratt both claim to have lost well over $1,000 to VGW, which is described in the filing as an 'prohibited [sports betting](http://titotit.com/xe/?document_srl=813361) business. '<br>
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<br>Apple and Google have also been named as accuseds in suits for hosting the sweepstakes sites. But unlike VGW, neither tech company responded 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](https://www.womplaz.com/read-blog/93_for-sports-gambling-to-be-legalised.html) informed DailyMail.com through email. 'However, we keep in mind that this claim has only simply been filed with the court and VGW has not been officially served.<br>
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<br>'We have complete confidence in our compliance with all laws and guidelines where we run, and stay confident about the future,' the representative continued. 'We continue to use our free-to-play video games across many of North America, as we have for more than a decade, creating not just terrific video games, user experiences and home entertainment, but also guaranteeing this is done safely, responsibly and at the greatest level of requirements.<br>
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<br>'More broadly, we 'd repeat that class actions and other lawsuits and arbitrations are reasonably common throughout the online social video games market (and the US more broadly), and our standard practice is that we intend to vigorously defend any claim which might be brought versus us.'<br>
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<br>The issues in between standard online gaming and sweepstakes gambling establishments might prove problematic 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 name while the NBA is partnered with conventional video gaming titans like FanDuel and DraftKings.<br>
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<br>'It's ironic that expert athletes are hawking prohibited [sports betting](https://customerscomm.com/read-blog/3720_online-betting-firms-gamble-on-soccer-mad-nigeria.html) 'sweeps' websites while at the very same time the wish to predict a strong position against prohibited gambling - particularly when attempting to tamp down the occasional gambling scandal,' Glaser told DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>It was just eight months ago that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter 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 including social or sweepstakes gambling establishments.<br>
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<br>In addition to VGW, Apple and Google are being demanded hosting apparently illegal [sports betting](https://micircle.in/read-blog/443_the-ins-and-outs-of-betting-on-the-nfl-draft.html) websites<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 websites is a matter of when, not if,' Glaser added.<br>
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<br>Neither an NBA representative nor the gamers' agents responded to DailyMail.com's ask for comment. For that matter, spokespeople for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, Seacrest and Phelps likewise overlooked to react to DailyMail.com emails.<br>
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<br>Asked if their star endorsers have a duty to describe to clients the differences and resemblances in between iGaming and sweepstakes casinos, VGW firmly insisted there is absolutely nothing more that requires to be done.<br>
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<br>'We have full self-confidence in our influencer and ambassadorial partnerships, and our company practices more broadly,' the spokesperson stated. 'A few 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 opponent of sweepstakes websites, 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 unlawful gaming websites are, at a minimum, putting their credibilities at risk as well as courting civil and class actions by customers who allege harm,' Glaser said. 'There is likewise some danger that state regulators and state chief law officers rope celebrity endorsers into enforcement efforts for facilitating prohibited gaming.'<br>
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