Add 'Sweepstakes Casino Controversy - And Celebrities' All-important Role'
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<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://micircle.in/read-blog/483_why-every-cricket-fan-ought-to-try-the-all-cricket-id-gaming-platform.html).<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/Bet9jaPromotionCodeYOHAIG)
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<br>No, they weren't personally in attendance, but the world-famous stars were conspicuously consisted of in a slide presentation on social and sweepstakes casinos - the controversial sites providing both totally free casino-style games and profitable rewards, such as cash, gift cards or cryptocurrency. In one advertisement, the fist-pumping Seacrest is seen plugging Chumba Casino, where anyone can 'play for totally free,' while a [crop-topped Hilton](http://lifethelife.com/read-blog/4680_sweepstakes-casino-controversy-and-celebrities-039-all-important-role.html) holds a chip for sweepstakes operator, Wow Vegas, in the other.<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/AviatorGameOnlineBET9JA)
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<br>The sites are just 2 cogs in the multibillion-dollar industry that now discovers itself besieged by suits. In the eyes of lots of gaming corporations, not to mention suit plaintiffs and state regulators, sweepstakes gambling establishments function as traditional casinos, just without the oversight, consumer defenses and tax laws. So not just can they avoid the high 24-percent federal gambling levy, but sweepstakes operators aren't based on regulatory hurdles like anti-money laundering and responsible-gaming defenses.<br>[bit.ly](https://bit.ly/Bet9jaPromotionCodeYOHAIG)
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<br>One operator, Australia-based Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), reported $4 billion in earnings in 2015 alone. Now the business faces allegations of prohibited [sports betting](https://welcometohaiti.com/read-blog/15320_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) in a New York lawsuit that declares VGW utilizes celebrity endorsers to 'develop a veneer of authenticity' around its product. (See VGW's declaration 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 companies operating multibillion-dollar unlawful operations out of places like Malta, Isle of Man, or US mail drops,' Friday's presenter, Howard Glaser of video gaming corporation Light & Wonder, told DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes endorsers consist of a range of stars from gambling enthusiasts Drake and DJ Khaled to swimmer Michael Phelps, in addition to NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George - none of whom provide any distinctions in between traditional gambling and sweepstakes play.<br>
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<br>Paris Hilton is seen plugging Wow Vegas, one of numerous sweepstakes gambling establishments discovered online<br>
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<br>Ryan Seacrest prompts fans to play at Chumba Casino, where many - however not all - games are free<br>
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<br>Drake has a handle social sweeps gambling establishment, Stake, that he routinely touts on social media<br>
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<br>Find out 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 normally focus around the social aspect of the casinos, while leaving out the potential for actual gambling losses.<br>
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<br>Others [tempt consumers](https://thewion.com/read-blog/185972_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-united-states-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) with guarantees of prizes. One such operator, Stake, ran a social media advertisement displaying Drake's vehicles, planes and estates before pivoting to footage of the rap artist playing online casino-style video games.<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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<br>'Daddy, why do we have so much cash?' read the very first caption on the screen.<br>
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<br>Another caption discussed: 'Because I never ever gave up.'<br>
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<br>The disparity between [sports betting](https://www.opentx.cz/index.php/U%C5%BEivatel:VIXAndreas) websites and social or sweepstakes gambling establishments is a bit intricate, but operators of the latter insist they're not included with the previous.<br>
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<br>A spokesperson for an industry trade group, the Social and Association (SPGA), explained its members are not in direct competitors with [online casinos](https://redmonde.es/read-blog/111_how-much-are-americans-investing-in-sports-betting.html) and sportsbooks. Furthermore, according to SPGA information, most of the gamers on social-sweepstakes casinos are [sports betting](https://oolibuzz.com/read-blog/41673_how-are-betting-odds-calculated.html) free.<br>
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<br>'Most social sweeps customers never buy,' the SPGA spokesperson informed DailyMail.com. 'The minority of consumers who make purchases do so in amounts far smaller sized than the common deposit or bet size at real-money online gaming websites.'<br>
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<br>Social casinos offer consumers a possibility to play casino-style games with good friends. Players have the option to purchase valueless currency often referred to as 'gold coins,' which can not be [exchanged genuine](https://islider.ru/read-blog/39126_exploring-the-sports-betting-industry-putting-ideas-into-practice.html) money, but can be utilized to unlock numerous features within the games.<br>
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<br>But within the world of social casinos exists sweepstakes gaming, enabling consumers to obtain other currency called 'sweeps coins' that can be exchanged for money 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 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 casino Stake ran an ad flaunting Drake's automobiles, aircrafts and mansions<br>
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<br>Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks is another NBA [star plugging](http://www.mizmiz.de/read-blog/80519_sweepstakes-casino-controversy-and-celebrities-039-all-important-role.html) VGW's Global Poker<br>
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<br>Traditional online casinos are banned in all but seven states, which has assisted to sustain the popularity of sweepstakes gambling establishments.<br>
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<br>Anyone over the age of 18 can access the sweepstakes sites, which do not need generally require identification. However, sites like Chumba will ask for IDs from players trying to withdraw any funds.<br>
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<br>Many websites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, enable customers to send mail-in ask for free sweeps coins, supplied the gamers follow painfully specific directions. What's more, players are often rewarded with sweeps coins merely for signing up, thus providing a factor to attempt their hands at any number of gambling establishment games for a chance to win - or lose - real cash.<br>
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<br>So why are sweepstakes websites permitted to [operate](http://experienciacortazar.com.ar/wiki/index.php?title=Usuario:WilfredNall1) in 48 states, while online gambling establishments are prohibited 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 competitors is simply a way of promoting their bread and butter.<br>
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<br>'Social sweepstakes video games are merely a form of online entertainment,' an SPGA representative told DailyMail.com by e-mail. 'No purchase is needed to play at social casinos with sweepstakes prizes. Consumers never have to spend for an opportunity to win rewards. That lack of a purchase requirement - or" consideration" - is a vital distinction between social sweeps and standard online gambling sites like gambling establishments.'<br>
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<br>Think about the manner in which McDonald's utilizes its yearly Monopoly game to promote its food: Customers aren't paying to gamble, but rather they're buying hamburgers and french fries that provide them the possibility to win financially rewarding prizes, such as a $1 million prize.<br>
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<br>And without a purchase requirement, or 'consideration', the video game itself doesn't satisfy the definition of [sports betting](http://experienciacortazar.com.ar/wiki/index.php?title=Usuario:CruzWindsor2212) in the US.<br>
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<br>'Sweepstakes are a long-standing method for promoting all type of daily services in the United States, everything from hamburgers to publication subscriptions to coffee and home enhancement shops,' the SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promotions are frequently 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://clik.social/read-blog/19021_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-us-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) market experts, that argument doesn't cut it.<br>
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<br>For beginners, video gaming attorney Daniel Wallach explains, McDonald's Monopoly video game doesn't run forever. Rather, it has a well-defined start and end, thus suggesting the sweepstakes is not the fast-food giant's main item. Instead, the sweepstakes is being used to promote genuine items like french fries, shakes, and the Filet-O-Fish.<br>
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<br>'They don't last forever and they're typically not connected to casino-style video games of opportunity,' Wallach informed DailyMail.com. ['They're](https://nexthub.live/read-blog/69_how-to-withdraw-from-bet9ja-8-step-guide-to-cash-in-your-wins.html) just money giveaways.<br>
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<br>'The sweepstakes [casinos] possess none of the characteristics frequently related to McDonald's-style sweepstakes promos,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in all time, the sweepstakes casinos provide" casino-like" payouts, generally 80 percent or more of earnings, whereas the normal payout percentage for a short-lived marketing sweepstakes is an unimportant share of the income earned by the business [normally less than one percent]'<br>
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<br>Wallach is fast to liken the online social sweeps gambling establishments to the internet coffee shops that emerged in Florida, offering consumers the possibility to play casino-style games for genuine rewards. A number of those brick-and-mortar establishments have actually considering that been shuttered over allegations of unlawful gambling.<br>
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<br>DJ Khaled is amongst several star spokespeople for VGW's Global Poker brand<br>
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<br>Now, Wallach argues, social sweeps gambling establishments should face comparable examination.<br>
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<br>'These differences are not arbitrary,' Wallach said of social sweeps gambling establishments. 'They have actually repeatedly been cited by courts and state [attorney](https://oeclub.org/index.php/User:MalorieGriffin9) general of the United States as essential consider determining that a sweepstakes promotion remained in fact a guise for prohibited gambling.'<br>
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<br>Among the gambling establishment industry's leading trade companies, the American Gaming Association, is now pushing legislators to investigate sweepstakes operators and, in some cases, enact brand-new legislation on the problem.<br>
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<br>'Consumers are being denied of defenses and states are forgoing substantial tax and profits chances as this gambling replaces that carried out through managed channels,' read a well-circulated AGA memo.<br>
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<br>And then there are the plaintiffs who have actually taken legal action against social casinos 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 wrongdoing, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile VGW consented to pay $11.75 million in one class-action claim, saying the settlement was made to avoid legal costs and continued litigation.<br>
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<br>[Michael Phelps](https://juventusfansclub.com/read-blog/5013_things-you-need-to-know-about-rafting-adventures.html) has actually signed a handle the VGW Group, which owns Global Poker<br>
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<br>In the current claim, which is largely similar to its predecessors, New york city state residents 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 'prohibited [sports betting](https://alumni.myra.ac.in/read-blog/148733_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) business. '<br>
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<br>Apple and Google have likewise been named as accuseds in suits for hosting the sweepstakes sites. But unlike VGW, neither tech business reacted to DailyMail.com's demand for remark.<br>
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<br>'We generally do not talk about matters before the courts,' a VGW representative informed DailyMail.com via e-mail. 'However, we keep in mind that this claim has only simply been filed with the court and VGW has actually not been formally served.<br>
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<br>'We have complete self-confidence in our [compliance](https://truthbook.social/read-blog/8702_sport-betting-industry-wants-to-protect-itself.html) with all laws and policies where we operate, and stay positive about the future,' the spokesperson continued. 'We continue to offer our [free-to-play video](http://wiki.faramirfiction.com/index.php?title=User:Devin095335081) games throughout the majority of The United States and Canada, as we have for more than a years, developing not just fantastic games, user experiences and entertainment, but also guaranteeing this is done securely, properly and at the highest level of standards.<br>
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<br>'More broadly, we 'd reiterate that class actions and other litigations and arbitrations are reasonably common across the online social games industry (and the US more broadly), and our basic practice is that we intend to vigorously safeguard any claim which might be brought versus us.'<br>
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<br>The problems between standard online [sports betting](https://oolibuzz.com/read-blog/41661_tennessee-sports-betting-top-4-legal-betting-sites-in-2024.html) and sweepstakes gambling establishments might prove bothersome 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](https://wiki.rrtn.org/wiki/index.php/User:EthanBlackwelder) that professional athletes are hawking illegal [sports betting](https://skylockr.app/read-blog/192_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-united-states-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) 'sweeps' sites while at the exact same time the leagues wish to forecast a strong stance against unlawful [sports betting](https://mediawiki1263.00web.net/index.php/User:RodneyMal7903229) - specifically when attempting to tamp down the periodic gambling scandal,' Glaser informed DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>It was simply eight months ago that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter received a lifetime restriction from the NBA over allegations he conspired with bettors. However, to be clear, Porter's scandal is unassociated to anything including social or sweepstakes [gambling establishments](https://lubuzz.com/read-blog/109_online-betting-firms-gamble-on-soccer-mad-nigeria.html).<br>
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<br>Together with VGW, Apple and Google are being demanded hosting allegedly unlawful [sports betting](https://noaisocial.pro/read-blog/2374_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-us-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) sites<br>
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<br>Regardless, Glaser sees sweepstakes casinos as a significant concern for leagues such as the NBA.<br>
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<br>'I 'd anticipate that a league crackdown on athletes backing sweepstakes websites is a matter of when, not if,' Glaser added.<br>
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<br>Neither an NBA spokesman nor the players' representatives reacted to DailyMail.com's requests for remark. For that matter, spokespeople for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, Seacrest and Phelps likewise neglected to react to DailyMail.com e-mails.<br>
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<br>Asked if their celeb endorsers have a responsibility to describe to consumers the distinctions and resemblances between [iGaming](https://islider.ru/read-blog/37686_the-history-of-the-nfl-and-how-to-bet-on-it.html) and sweepstakes casinos, VGW insisted there is nothing more that needs to be done.<br>
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<br>'We have full confidence in our influencer and ambassadorial collaborations, and our organization practices more broadly,' the spokesperson said. 'A few of our worths are" our gamers come first" 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 provide their names to dubious illegal [sports betting](https://wiki.vst.hs-furtwangen.de/wiki/User:RafaelaOlden072) sites are, at a minimum, putting their track records at danger as well as courting civil and class actions by consumers who declare harm,' Glaser said. 'There is likewise some risk that state [regulators](https://miderde.de/index.php?title=Benutzer:BradleyStrachan) and state attorneys basic rope celeb endorsers into enforcement efforts for facilitating unlawful gaming.'<br>
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<br>New YorkNBADrakeParis Hilton<br>[bet9ja.com](https://register.bet9ja.com/?btag=yohaig&promocode=yohaig)
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