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 looks before the Louisiana Senate for Friday's hearing on illegal [sports betting](https://social.japrime.id/read-blog/23406_compare-amp-review-oddsjet-de.html).<br>
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<br>No, they weren't personally in attendance, but the world-famous stars were notably consisted of in a slide presentation on social and sweepstakes gambling establishments - the questionable websites using both totally free casino-style [video games](https://sfqatest.sociofans.com/read-blog/674_how-much-are-americans-investing-in-sports-betting.html) and financially rewarding prizes, such as money, present cards or cryptocurrency. In one advertisement, the fist-pumping Seacrest is seen plugging Chumba Casino, where anyone can 'play for 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 2 cogs in the multibillion-dollar industry that now discovers itself besieged by suits. In the eyes of numerous gaming corporations, not to discuss claim complainants and state regulators, sweepstakes gambling establishments act as traditional casinos, only without the oversight, consumer securities and tax laws. So not just can they prevent the steep 24-percent federal [sports betting](https://infosocial.top/read-blog/3989_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) levy, but sweepstakes operators aren't subject to regulative hurdles like anti-money laundering and responsible-gaming defenses.<br>
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<br>One operator, Australia-based Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), reported $4 billion in earnings last year alone. Now the business deals with [allegations](https://olps.co.za/wiki/User:TroyKitson07613) of unlawful gambling in a New York claim that claims VGW uses celebrity endorsers to 'create a veneer of legitimacy' around its item. (See VGW's statement below)<br>
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<br>'I'm not exactly sure" if you do not trust us, you can trust Paris Hilton" is a winning message for business running multibillion-dollar unlawful operations out of places 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 consist of a variety of stars from gambling lovers Drake and DJ Khaled to swimmer Michael Phelps, as well as NBA stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George - none of whom use any distinctions in between standard gambling and sweepstakes play.<br>
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<br>Paris Hilton is seen plugging Wow Vegas, among many sweepstakes casinos found online<br>
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<br>Ryan Seacrest advises fans to play at Chumba Casino, where lots of - however not all - video games are complimentary<br>
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<br>Drake has an offer with social sweeps gambling establishment, Stake, that he regularly promotes on social media<br>
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<br>Read More<br>
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<br>Donald Trump 'set to name NBA team owner as US ambassador to Italy'<br>
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<br>Instead, advertisements generally focus around the social aspect of the casinos, while omitting the capacity for real gambling losses.<br>
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<br>Others lure clients with promises of rewards. One such operator, Stake, ran a social media ad revealing off Drake's vehicles, aircrafts and mansions before pivoting to video of the rapper 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 explained: 'Because I never ever offered up.'<br>
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<br>The disparity in between gaming sites and social or sweepstakes gambling establishments is a bit intricate, but operators of the latter insist they're not involved with the previous.<br>
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<br>A representative for an industry trade group, the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA), described its members are not in direct competition with online gambling establishments and sportsbooks. Furthermore, according to SPGA information, the majority of the players on social-sweepstakes gambling [establishments](https://oolibuzz.com/read-blog/41661_tennessee-sports-betting-top-4-legal-betting-sites-in-2024.html) are [sports betting](http://wiki.faramirfiction.com/index.php?title=User:LatriceBurger97) free.<br>
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<br>'Most social sweeps consumers never ever make a purchase,' the SPGA spokesperson informed 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](https://infosocial.top/read-blog/4022_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) online gaming sites.'<br>
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<br>Social casinos provide clients a chance to play casino-style video games with good friends. Players have the alternative to purchase worthless currency typically referred to as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged for genuine money, however can be used to unlock numerous functions within the games.<br>
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<br>But within the world of social casinos exists sweepstakes gaming, permitting 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 monetary losses, like the ones claimed by plaintiffs in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York. One player told the [Washington Post](http://video.firstkick.live/read-blog/4644_why-every-cricket-fan-need-to-try-the-all-cricket-id-gaming-platform.html) he lost more than $100,000 on sweepstakes casinos in the previous year after continuing to purchase 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](http://kitsap.whigdev.com/read-blog/3058_how-to-play-bet9ja-online.html) occasion<br>
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<br>Social sweeps gambling establishment Stake ran an ad flaunting Drake's cars, airplanes 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 but 7 states, which has assisted to fuel 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 require generally need identification. However, sites like Chumba will request IDs from players trying to withdraw any funds.<br>
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<br>Many sites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, enable clients to submit mail-in demands for complimentary sweeps coins, supplied the players follow painfully specific guidelines. What's more, gamers are often rewarded with sweeps coins merely for registering, consequently [providing](https://taar.me/read-blog/8448_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-us-after-sports-wager-ruling.html) a reason to try their hands at any number of gambling establishment video games for a chance to win - or lose - genuine cash.<br>
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<br>So why are sweepstakes websites permitted to run 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 complimentary casino-style video gaming, and the real-stakes competition is just a means of promoting their bread and butter.<br>
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<br>'Social sweepstakes video games are just a type of online entertainment,' an SPGA representative told DailyMail.com by email. 'No purchase is required to dip into social gambling establishments with sweepstakes rewards. Consumers never have to spend for a chance to win prizes. That absence of a purchase requirement - or" consideration" - is an essential distinction between social sweeps and conventional online gambling sites like gambling establishments.'<br>
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<br>Think about the manner in which McDonald's utilizes its annual Monopoly video game to promote its food: Customers aren't paying to bet, however rather they're purchasing hamburgers and fries that offer them the opportunity to win financially rewarding prizes, such as a $1 million prize.<br>
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<br>And without a purchase requirement, or 'factor to consider', the game itself doesn't satisfy the definition of gambling in the US.<br>
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<br>'Sweepstakes are an enduring technique for promoting all kinds of everyday services in the United States, whatever from hamburgers to magazine subscriptions to coffee and home enhancement shops,' the SPGA spokesperson informed DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promotions 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 gambling market insiders, that argument does not cut it.<br>
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<br>For beginners, video gaming lawyer Daniel Wallach points out, McDonald's Monopoly video game doesn't run indefinitely. Rather, it has a distinct start and end, consequently recommending the sweepstakes is not the fast-food giant's [main product](https://systemcheck-wiki.de/index.php?title=Benutzer:AntwanBatts). 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 don't last permanently and they're usually not connected to casino-style games of opportunity,' Wallach informed DailyMail.com. 'They're just money free gifts.<br>
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<br>'The sweepstakes [casinos] have none of the attributes commonly connected with McDonald's-style sweepstakes promos,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in all time, the sweepstakes casinos use" casino-like" payouts, generally 80 percent or more of earnings, whereas the common payout portion for a temporary marketing sweepstakes is an unimportant share of the income earned by the business [generally less than one percent]'<br>
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<br>Wallach fasts to liken the online social sweeps gambling establishments to the internet cafes that sprang up in Florida, using customers the opportunity to play casino-style games for genuine prizes. Many of those brick-and-mortar establishments have since been shuttered over claims of unlawful [sports betting](https://social.ppmandi.com/read-blog/212_exploring-the-sports-betting-industry-putting-ideas-into-practice.html).<br>
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<br>DJ Khaled is among several celeb 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 arbitrary,' Wallach said of social sweeps casinos. 'They have actually repeatedly been mentioned by courts and state attorney general of the United States as key elements in identifying that a sweepstakes promotion remained in fact a guise for [unlawful gambling](https://reckoningz.com/uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-us-after-sports-wager-ruling/).'<br>
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<br>One of the casino market's leading trade organizations, the American Gaming Association, is now pressing lawmakers to examine sweepstakes operators and, in many cases, enact brand-new legislation on the concern.<br>
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<br>'Consumers are being deprived of protections and states are giving up substantial tax and earnings chances as this gambling changes that conducted through controlled channels,[' checked](https://sportstalkhub.com/read-blog/20355_things-you-need-to-understand-about-rafting-adventures.html) out a well-circulated AGA memo.<br>
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<br>And then there are the plaintiffs who have sued social gambling establishments in more than a lots states.<br>
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<br>Sweepstakes gambling establishment 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 lawsuit, stating the settlement was made to prevent legal costs and continued litigation.<br>
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<br>Michael Phelps has actually signed a deal with the VGW Group, which owns Global Poker<br>
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<br>In the most current claim, which is mostly similar to its predecessors, New York state homeowners Lamar Prater and Rebecca Pratt both declare to have actually lost well over $1,000 to VGW, which is explained in the filing as an ['prohibited gaming](https://www.grandtribunal.org/wiki/User:BerryLovejoy82) . '<br>
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<br>Apple and Google have actually also been called as accuseds in claims for hosting the sweepstakes websites. But unlike VGW, neither tech business reacted to DailyMail.com's ask for remark.<br>
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<br>'We normally do not comment on matters before the courts,' a VGW spokesperson informed DailyMail.com via email. 'However, we keep in mind that this claim has actually only just been filed with the court and VGW has not been formally served.<br>
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<br>'We have full confidence in our compliance with all laws and policies where we operate, and remain 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 years, producing not only terrific video games, user experiences and entertainment, however likewise guaranteeing this is done safely, properly and at the greatest level of requirements.<br>
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<br>'More broadly, we 'd reiterate that class actions and other litigations and arbitrations are fairly typical across the online social video games industry (and the US more broadly), and our standard practice is that we intend to intensely safeguard any claim which might be brought versus us.'<br>
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<br>The issues between standard online gaming and sweepstakes gambling establishments could 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 name while the NBA is partnered with standard gaming titans like FanDuel and DraftKings.<br>
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<br>'It's paradoxical that expert athletes are hawking unlawful [sports betting](http://wiki-tb-service.com/index.php?title=Benutzer:YolandaVillalobo) 'sweeps' websites while at the very same time the leagues want to project a strong stance against illegal gambling - especially when attempting to tamp down the periodic [sports betting](https://rca.co.id/read-blog/342_exploring-the-sports-betting-industry-putting-ideas-into-practice.html) scandal,' Glaser informed DailyMail.com.<br>
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<br>It was simply eight months ago that Toronto Raptors [forward](https://social.instinxtreme.com/read-blog/13950_sports-minister-tracey-crouch-resigns-over-039-hold-up-039-to-betting-crackdown.html) Jontay Porter got a lifetime 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>Along with VGW, Apple and Google are being demanded hosting supposedly unlawful [sports betting](https://wiki.rrtn.org/wiki/index.php/User:Jannie9307) sites<br>
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<br>Regardless, Glaser sees sweepstakes casinos as a major concern 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' agents responded to DailyMail.com's ask for remark. For that matter, spokespeople for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, Seacrest and Phelps likewise disregarded to react to DailyMail.com e-mails.<br>
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<br>Asked if their celeb endorsers have a duty to describe to clients the distinctions and similarities 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 self-confidence in our influencer and ambassadorial collaborations, and our service practices more broadly,' the spokesperson said. 'Some of our values are" our players precede" 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 opponent of sweepstakes websites, sees things differently.<br>
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<br>['Celebrities](https://olps.co.za/wiki/User:Jeffry2055) who provide their names to shady illegal [sports betting](https://pipewiki.org/wiki/index.php/User:SherryBosley47) sites are, at a minimum, putting their track records at danger along with courting civil and class actions by customers who allege harm,' Glaser said. 'There is also some danger that state regulators and state chief law officers rope celebrity endorsers into enforcement efforts for assisting in illegal [sports betting](http://video.firstkick.live/read-blog/4663_uk-betting-firms-gamble-on-united-states-after-sports-wager-ruling.html).'<br>
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