Sweepstakes Casino Controversy - And Celebrities All-important Role

The smiling faces of Paris Hilton and Ryan Seacrest made surprise appearances before the Louisiana Senate for Friday's hearing on prohibited gambling.
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No, they weren't personally in attendance, however the world-famous celebs were notably consisted of in a slide discussion on social and sweepstakes casinos - the questionable websites offering both free casino-style video games and financially rewarding 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 free,' while a crop-topped Hilton holds a chip for sweepstakes operator, Wow Vegas, in the other.
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The websites are simply 2 cogs in the multibillion-dollar market that now finds itself besieged by suits. In the eyes of lots of gaming corporations, not to mention suit complainants and state regulators, sweepstakes casinos act as traditional casinos, just without the oversight, consumer protections and tax laws. So not only can they avoid the high 24-percent federal gambling levy, but sweepstakes operators aren't based on regulatory difficulties like anti-money laundering and responsible-gaming protections.


One operator, Australia-based Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), reported $4 billion in profits in 2015 alone. Now the business faces accusations of illegal gaming in a New York lawsuit that claims VGW uses celeb endorsers to 'create a veneer of authenticity' around its item. (See VGW's declaration listed below)


'I'm not exactly sure" if you don't trust us, you can trust Paris Hilton" is a winning message for companies running multibillion-dollar illegal operations out of locations like Malta, Isle of Man, or US mail drops,' Friday's speaker, Howard Glaser of gaming corporation Light & Wonder, informed DailyMail.com.


Sweepstakes endorsers include 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 use any differences between conventional gambling and sweepstakes play.


Paris Hilton is seen plugging Wow Vegas, among many sweepstakes gambling establishments found online


Ryan Seacrest advises fans to dip into Chumba Casino, where numerous - but not all - video games are totally free


Drake has a deal with social sweeps casino, Stake, that he regularly promotes on social networks


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Instead, advertisements typically center around the social aspect of the gambling establishments, while leaving out the potential for actual gaming losses.


Others lure consumers with promises of rewards. One such operator, Stake, ran a social networks ad flaunting Drake's automobiles, airplanes and mansions before rotating to video footage of the rap artist playing online casino-style games.


'Daddy, why do we have so much money?' check out the first caption on the screen.


Another caption described: 'Because I never quit.'


The inconsistency in between sports betting websites and social or sweepstakes casinos is a bit intricate, but operators of the latter insist they're not included with the previous.


A representative for an industry trade group, the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA), explained 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 casinos are playing for complimentary.


'Most social sweeps consumers never ever buy,' the SPGA spokesperson informed DailyMail.com. 'The minority of consumers who make purchases do so in amounts far smaller than the typical deposit or bet size at real-money online gaming websites.'


Social gambling establishments provide clients an opportunity to play casino-style video games with friends. Players have the option to buy valueless currency frequently referred to as 'gold coins,' which can not be exchanged for genuine money, but can be used to open numerous functions within the video games.


But within the world of social gambling establishments exists sweepstakes gaming, enabling consumers to obtain other currency called 'sweeps coins' that can be exchanged for money or other prizes.


And therein lies the potential for monetary losses, like the ones claimed by plaintiffs in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York. One gamer informed the Washington Post he lost more than $100,000 on sweepstakes gambling establishments in the previous year after continuing to buy more coins in pursuit of money and other things of worth.


The Philadelphia 76ers' Paul George is seen promoting a Worldwide Poker event


Social sweeps casino Stake ran an ad showing off Drake's cars, planes and estates


Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks is another NBA star plugging VGW's Global Poker


Traditional online gambling establishments are prohibited in all however 7 states, which has helped to fuel the appeal of sweepstakes gambling establishments.


Anyone over the age of 18 can access the sweepstakes websites, which do not require usually require recognition. However, websites like Chumba will request for IDs from players trying to withdraw any funds.


Many websites, like the crypto-compatible Stake, permit customers to submit mail-in demands for totally free sweeps coins, supplied the gamers follow painfully particular directions. What's more, players are frequently rewarded with sweeps coins simply for signing up, thereby offering them a factor to try their hands at any number of casino video games for a possibility to win - or lose - genuine cash.


So why are sweepstakes sites allowed to operate in 48 states, while online gambling establishments are prohibited in all but 7?


According to the stakeholders, their product is the totally free casino-style video gaming, and the real-stakes competitors is simply a means of promoting their support.


'Social sweepstakes video games are simply a type of online home entertainment,' an SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com by email. 'No purchase is required to play at social casinos with sweepstakes prizes. Consumers never ever need to pay for an opportunity to win rewards. That lack of a purchase requirement - or" consideration" - is an essential distinction between social sweeps and standard online gaming websites like casinos.'


Think about the manner in which McDonald's utilizes its yearly Monopoly video game to promote its food: Customers aren't paying to gamble, however rather they're buying hamburgers and french fries that offer them the possibility to win profitable rewards, such as a $1 million prize.


And without a purchase requirement, or 'factor to consider', the video game itself does not fulfill the meaning of sports betting in the US.


'Sweepstakes are a long-standing method for promoting all type of everyday organizations in the United States, whatever from burgers to magazine memberships to coffee and home enhancement shops,' the SPGA representative informed DailyMail.com. 'Sweepstakes promos are regularly utilized by a who's who of household names like AT&T, Chase, Home Depot, Marriott, Starbucks, and Wal-Mart.'


But to many sports betting industry experts, that argument does not cut it.


For beginners, video gaming lawyer Daniel Wallach points out, McDonald's Monopoly game doesn't run indefinitely. Rather, it has a distinct start and end, consequently recommending the sweepstakes is not the fast-food giant's primary product. Instead, the sweepstakes is being used to promote real products like fries, shakes, and the Filet-O-Fish.


'They do not last permanently and they're generally not tied to casino-style games of possibility,' Wallach informed DailyMail.com. 'They're just money free gifts.


'The sweepstakes [casinos] possess none of the qualities typically related to McDonald's-style sweepstakes promos,' Wallach continued. 'Besides running in eternity, the sweepstakes casinos provide" casino-like" payouts, typically 80 percent or more of profits, whereas the normal payment percentage for a momentary promotional sweepstakes is a trivial share of the revenue made by the business [normally less than one percent]'


Wallach is quick to liken the online social sweeps gambling establishments to the web cafes that emerged in Florida, offering customers the possibility to play casino-style video games for real rewards. Much of those brick-and-mortar facilities have because been shuttered over allegations of prohibited gaming.


DJ Khaled is amongst numerous star spokespeople for VGW's Global Poker brand


Now, Wallach argues, social sweeps casinos need to face comparable analysis.


'These differences are not approximate,' Wallach said of social sweeps casinos. 'They have actually repeatedly been pointed out by courts and state attorney general of the United States as key aspects in figuring out that a sweepstakes promotion was in truth a guise for illegal gaming.'


One of the casino market's leading trade companies, the American Gaming Association, is now pressing lawmakers to examine sweepstakes operators and, in many cases, enact new legislation on the concern.


'Consumers are being deprived of protections and states are passing up substantial tax and earnings opportunities as this sports betting replaces that conducted through managed channels,' read a well-circulated AGA memo.


And after that there are the complainants who have sued social gambling establishments in more than a lots states.


Sweepstakes casino operators paid a combined $14.2 million in 4 separate cases in Kentucky without confessing any wrongdoing, according to the Washington Post. Meanwhile VGW agreed to pay $11.75 million in one class-action claim, stating the settlement was made to avoid legal costs and continued lawsuits.


Michael Phelps has actually signed an offer with the VGW Group, which owns Global Poker


In the most recent claim, which is largely comparable to its predecessors, New york city state residents 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 gaming enterprise. '


Apple and Google have also been called as offenders in claims for hosting the sweepstakes websites. But unlike VGW, neither tech business responded to DailyMail.com's ask for remark.


'We generally don't discuss matters before the courts,' a VGW representative informed DailyMail.com via email. 'However, we keep in mind that this claim has actually only just been submitted with the court and VGW has not been officially served.


'We have complete self-confidence in our compliance with all laws and guidelines where we run, and stay positive about the future,' the representative continued. 'We continue to provide our free-to-play video games across many of North America, as we have for more than a decade, creating not only great games, user experiences and entertainment, but also ensuring this is done securely, responsibly and at the greatest level of standards.


'More broadly, we 'd restate that class actions and other lawsuits and arbitrations are fairly common throughout the online social video games market (and the US more broadly), and our basic practice is that we intend to intensely defend any claim which may be brought against us.'


The problems between standard online gambling and sweepstakes casinos could show troublesome for some celeb endorsers.


Towns, a star center with the Knicks, and the 76ers' George both back VGW's Global Poker brand while the NBA is partnered with standard gaming titans like FanDuel and DraftKings.


'It's paradoxical that expert athletes are hawking unlawful sports betting wagering 'sweeps' sites while at the exact same time the leagues want to predict a strong stance versus unlawful gambling - specifically when trying to tamp down the occasional gaming scandal,' Glaser told DailyMail.com.


It was simply eight months ago that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter 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 .


Along with VGW, Apple and Google are being demanded hosting presumably unlawful gambling websites


Regardless, Glaser sees sweepstakes casinos as a major problem for leagues such as the NBA.


'I 'd expect that a league crackdown on professional athletes endorsing sweepstakes websites is a matter of when, not if,' Glaser added.


Neither an NBA representative nor the players' representatives reacted to DailyMail.com's demands for comment. For that matter, spokespeople for Drake, DJ Khaled, Hilton, Seacrest and Phelps likewise neglected to respond to DailyMail.com emails.


Asked if their celeb endorsers have a responsibility to explain to customers the distinctions and similarities between iGaming and sweepstakes casinos, VGW insisted there is nothing more that needs to be done.


'We have full confidence in our influencer and ambassadorial partnerships, and our business practices more broadly,' the spokesperson said. 'Some of our values are" our gamers precede" and" we do what's right", and we put our values at the core of whatever we do.'


Glaser, an outspoken opponent of sweepstakes websites, sees things differently.
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'Celebrities who lend their names to dubious illegal sports betting websites are, at a minimum, putting their reputations at danger in addition to courting civil and class actions by customers who declare harm,' Glaser stated. 'There is also some danger that state regulators and state attorney generals of the United States rope celeb endorsers into enforcement efforts for facilitating unlawful gambling.'


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