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 gambling.<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>No, they weren't personally in participation, however the world-famous celebrities were conspicuously included in a slide discussion on social and [sweepstakes casinos](http://it-viking.ch/index.php/User:DeboraBlackett3) - the questionable sites offering both free casino-style games and rewarding rewards, such as money, present cards or cryptocurrency. In one advertisement, 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>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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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 numerous video gaming corporations, not to discuss suit plaintiffs and state regulators, establishments function as standard gambling establishments, only without the oversight, consumer defenses and tax laws. So not just can they avoid the high 24-percent federal gaming levy, however sweepstakes operators aren't subject to regulative difficulties like anti-money laundering and responsible-gaming protections.<br>
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<br>One operator, Australia-based [Virtual Gaming](https://www.grandtribunal.org/wiki/User:JimmyHazon92) Worlds (VGW), reported $4 billion in revenue in 2015 alone. Now the business faces accusations of illegal gambling in a New York claim that claims VGW utilizes star endorsers to 'develop a veneer of [authenticity'](http://www.larsaluarna.se/index.php/User:MabelColdiron64) around its item. (See VGW's statement below)<br>
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<br>'I'm uncertain" if you do not trust us, you can trust Paris Hilton" is a winning message for companies running 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 series of celebrities from gambling enthusiasts Drake and DJ Khaled to swimmer Michael Phelps, along with NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George - none of whom provide any distinctions between conventional gaming and sweepstakes play.<br>
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<br>Paris Hilton is seen plugging Wow Vegas, among lots of sweepstakes gambling establishments discovered online<br>
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<br>Ryan Seacrest prompts fans to dip into Chumba Casino, where many - 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 touts on social networks<br>
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<br>Learn more<br>
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<br>Donald Trump 'set to name NBA group owner as US ambassador to Italy'<br>
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<br>Instead, ads typically focus around the social aspect of the casinos, while omitting the potential for actual gambling losses.<br>
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<br>Others tempt consumers with promises of prizes. One such operator, Stake, ran a social networks ad displaying Drake's automobiles, planes and estates before rotating to 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?' read the first caption on the screen.<br>
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<br>Another caption described: 'Because I never quit.'<br>
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<br>The disparity in between [sports betting](https://alumni.myra.ac.in/read-blog/148676_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-delay-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) websites and social or sweepstakes casinos is a bit complex, 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), described its members are not in direct competition with online casinos and sportsbooks. Furthermore, according to SPGA data, the majority of the gamers on [social-sweepstakes gambling](https://followingbook.com/read-blog/20192_how-to-withdraw-from-bet9ja-8-step-guide-to-money-in-your-wins.html) establishments are playing for free.<br>
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<br>'Most social sweeps consumers never ever purchase,' the SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com. 'The minority of customers who make purchases do so in amounts far smaller sized than the common deposit or wager size at real-money online gambling websites.'<br>
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<br>Social casinos provide clients a chance to play casino-style video games with buddies. Players have the option to purchase valueless currency frequently referred to as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged genuine cash, however can be used to open various functions within the games.<br>
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<br>But within the world of social casinos exists sweepstakes gaming, enabling customers to acquire other currency understood as '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 plaintiffs in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York City. One gamer 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 cash 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 flaunting Drake's cars, 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](https://social.instinxtreme.com/read-blog/13659_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-hold-up-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) gambling establishments are banned in all but seven states, which has helped to sustain the appeal of sweepstakes casinos.<br>
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<br>Anyone over the age of 18 can access the [sweepstakes](https://mediawiki1263.00web.net/index.php/User:ChaseDunning28) websites, which do not require usually require recognition. However, sites like Chumba will [request](http://www.yasunli.co.id/Yasunli/wikipedia/index.php/Pengguna:BirgitV6736062) for IDs from gamers attempting to withdraw any funds.<br>
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<br>Many sites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, enable clients to submit mail-in ask for totally free sweeps coins, offered the players follow painfully particular directions. What's more, gamers are frequently rewarded with sweeps coins merely for registering, consequently [providing](https://wiki.sublab.net/index.php?title=User_talk:CoyJww44539) them a factor to try their hands at any variety of gambling establishment games for an opportunity to win - or lose - genuine money.<br>
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<br>So why are sweepstakes sites enabled 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 item is the complimentary casino-style gaming, and the real-stakes competitors is just a method of promoting their bread and butter.<br>
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<br>'Social sweepstakes video games are simply a kind of online home entertainment,' an SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com by email. 'No purchase is needed to play at social gambling establishments with sweepstakes rewards. Consumers never need to pay for a chance to [win prizes](https://a2zstreamsnow.com/read-blog/2546_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-hold-up-039-to-betting-crackdown.html). That absence of a purchase requirement - or" consideration" - is a crucial difference between social sweeps and standard online gaming sites like casinos.'<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, however rather they're buying hamburgers and 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 game itself doesn't satisfy the definition of gaming in the US.<br>
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<br>'Sweepstakes are an enduring approach for promoting all kinds of daily organizations in the United States, whatever from hamburgers to publication memberships to coffee and home improvement shops,' the SPGA spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promos are [frequently utilized](https://social.instinxtreme.com/read-blog/13659_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-hold-up-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) 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](http://it-viking.ch/index.php/User:BTEAshleigh) industry insiders, that argument does not cut it.<br>
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<br>For beginners, [gaming lawyer](https://fishtanklive.wiki/User:EpifaniaBettis) Daniel Wallach mentions, [McDonald's Monopoly](https://infinirealm.com/read-blog/8225_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-delay-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) video game does not run forever. Rather, it has a distinct start and end, consequently suggesting the sweepstakes is not the fast-food giant's primary item. Instead, the sweepstakes is being used to promote genuine items like fries, shakes, and the Filet-O-Fish.<br>
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<br>'They don't last forever and they're generally not connected to casino-style games of opportunity,' Wallach told DailyMail.com. 'They're just [money free](https://www.vancouverrowingclub.wiki/index.php/User:LatashaBadilla) gifts.<br>
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<br>'The sweepstakes [casinos] have none of the qualities commonly associated with McDonald's-style sweepstakes promotions,' Wallach [continued](https://social.japrime.id/read-blog/23398_how-to-withdraw-from-bet9ja-8-step-guide-to-money-in-your-wins.html). 'Besides running in perpetuity, the sweepstakes [gambling establishments](https://pittsburghpenguinsclub.com/read-blog/11377_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) offer" casino-like" payouts, normally 80 percent or more of earnings, whereas the normal payout portion for a momentary marketing [sweepstakes](https://reckoningz.com/tennessee-sports-betting-top-4-legal-betting-sites-in-2024/) is an unimportant share of the revenue made by the company [typically less than one percent]'<br>
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<br>Wallach fasts to compare the online social sweeps gambling establishments to the web cafes that emerged in Florida, using clients the chance to play casino-style games for real rewards. A lot of those brick-and-mortar establishments have actually given that been shuttered over allegations of prohibited gaming.<br>
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<br>DJ Khaled is among numerous celeb spokespeople for VGW's Global Poker brand<br>
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<br>Now, Wallach argues, social sweeps casinos should face comparable examination.<br>
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<br>'These distinctions are not approximate,' Wallach said of social sweeps gambling establishments. 'They have actually repeatedly been pointed out by courts and state attorney general of the United States as key consider figuring out that a sweepstakes promo remained in fact a guise for unlawful gaming.'<br>
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<br>Among the gambling establishment market's leading trade companies, the American Gaming Association, is now pushing legislators to examine sweepstakes operators and, sometimes, enact new legislation on the concern.<br>
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<br>'Consumers are being deprived of securities and states are passing up significant tax and revenue chances as this gaming changes that performed through [controlled](https://app.theremoteinternship.com/read-blog/25787_online-betting-firms-gamble-on-soccer-mad-nigeria.html) channels,' checked out a well-circulated AGA memo.<br>
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<br>And after that there are the complainants who have actually taken legal action against 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 4 separate cases in Kentucky without admitting any misdeed, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile VGW agreed to pay $11.75 million in one class-action suit, stating the settlement was made to prevent legal expenses and continued litigation.<br>
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<br>Michael Phelps has actually signed a handle the VGW Group, which owns Global Poker<br>
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<br>In the most [current](https://www.vancouverrowingclub.wiki/index.php/User:ZQJTitus84263) lawsuit, which is largely comparable to its predecessors, New york city state homeowners Lamar Prater and Rebecca Pratt both declare to have lost well over $1,000 to VGW, which is described in the filing as an 'prohibited [sports betting](https://social.oneworldonesai.com/read-blog/1658_just-how-much-are-americans-spending-on-sports-betting.html) enterprise. '<br>
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<br>Apple and Google have actually also been named as accuseds in lawsuits for hosting the sweepstakes sites. But unlike VGW, neither tech company reacted to DailyMail.com's ask for comment.<br>
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<br>'We normally do not discuss matters before the courts,' a VGW representative informed DailyMail.com via email. 'However, we keep in mind that this claim has only just been [submitted](https://wiki.dulovic.tech/index.php/User:BirgitP73815397) with the court and VGW has not been officially served.<br>
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<br>'We have complete confidence in our [compliance](https://www.grandtribunal.org/wiki/User:JimmyHazon92) with all laws and guidelines where we run, and remain positive about the future,' the representative continued. 'We continue to provide our free-to-play video games across the majority of North America, as we have for more than a decade, developing not just fantastic video games, user experiences and home entertainment, however likewise guaranteeing this is done securely, responsibly and at the highest level of standards.<br>
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<br>'More broadly, we 'd restate that class actions and other litigations and arbitrations are fairly typical across the online social games market (and the US more broadly), and our standard practice is that we mean to intensely safeguard any claim which may be brought against us.'<br>
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<br>The issues between standard online gambling and sweepstakes gambling establishments might prove troublesome 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 conventional gaming titans like FanDuel and DraftKings.<br>
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<br>'It's ironic that professional athletes are hawking prohibited [sports betting](https://www.vancouverrowingclub.wiki/index.php/User:LatashaBadilla) wagering 'sweeps' websites while at the same time the leagues wish to predict a strong position against unlawful gaming - especially when trying to tamp down the occasional [sports betting](https://lifefriendsurance.com/how-are-betting-odds-calculated/) scandal,' Glaser told DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>It was simply 8 months ago that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter received a life time restriction from the NBA over claims he conspired with bettors. However, to be clear, Porter's scandal is unassociated to anything including 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 allegedly illegal gambling 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 anticipate that a league crackdown on athletes endorsing sweepstakes sites refers when, not if,' Glaser included.<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 also neglected to react to DailyMail.com emails.<br>
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<br>Asked if their celeb endorsers have an obligation to explain to customers the differences and resemblances between iGaming and sweepstakes gambling establishments, VGW firmly insisted there is nothing more that needs to be done.<br>
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<br>'We have complete self-confidence in our influencer and ambassadorial collaborations, and our business practices more broadly,' the representative stated. 'A few of our values are" our players come initially" and" we do what's right", and we put our worths at the core of whatever we do.'<br>
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<br>Glaser, an outspoken opponent of sweepstakes sites, sees things differently.<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/Bet9jaPromotionCodeYOHAIG)
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<br>'Celebrities who provide their names to dubious prohibited gambling websites are, at a minimum, putting their credibilities at threat along with courting civil and class actions by customers who declare damage,' Glaser said. 'There is also some threat that state regulators and state attorney generals of the United States rope celebrity endorsers into enforcement efforts for [assisting](https://infinirealm.com/read-blog/8254_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-united-states-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) in unlawful [sports betting](https://oeclub.org/index.php/User:TwilaKushner).'<br>
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