For some time now Brian Christopher has shared why he won’t do virtual group pulls, and why ones in person require all participants to be present. Recently, other content creators have been making their own statements on the topic:
Are group pulls technically illegal? I hear on other channels and in some casinos that group pulls are illegal. Brian does group pulls and I love watching them, so now I’m curious.
Shanna K.
This is definitely one of those things both Brian and casinos have looked into carefully in the past. You see, casinos often have to follow a lot of regulations, and their licenses can be put on the line if regulations are not followed carefully. So casinos tend to be risk averse – they’re not going to knowingly take actions that could potentially get them into trouble.
So when it comes to in-person group pulls, the fact that they continue to happen, and be allowed by the casinos, is a safe assumption that for that structure it’s OK, at least at the casinos where they’re taking place. Gaming regulations can differ from market to market, so there’s certainly the possibility that those regulations are more restrictive in some places than others.
So for Brian, he hosts them where casinos allow them. Some opt out of them for various reasons, sometimes not even related to gaming regulations, but more practical considerations like space (a group of 30 people can take up a lot of room on a casino floor) and their own preferences on what they’re comfortable hosting. But if the casino is allowing a group pull to take place, it’s at some point been considered within boundaries for that casino’s gaming regulations.
That said, it’s not a free for all – all participants must be present at the time of the group pull. It’s not legal to do virtual group pulls, where someone gambles on behalf of someone else that’s not present. There are federal laws that are in place banning such activities, and casinos have no way to verify who’s on the other end – is that person of legal age and so on – so they don’t want anything to do with that.
So that’s where there’s a lot more of an issue, and where you won’t see creators like Brian hosting such events. But those in-person group pulls are hosted where allowed and approved by casinos, meaning both sides are comfortable that everything is being managed within the gaming regulations that particular casino operates under.
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I am pretty sure no one would be able to do a group pull and film it quite a few times for it to be illegal. Strange that anyone would think they are illegal. But the times we live in, they are nutty buddy lol
Casinos aren’t going to risk their licenses for a bit of YouTube publicity, especially when co-marketed with the casinos, so it’s safe to presume the homework’s been done on this.
How is the tax handled on the hand pay jackpots, in group pulls?
Thanks for the question Tina! Generally speaking, the person who pushes the button to make the wager is liable for the taxes, so when Brian Christopher hosts them, he pushes the button and covers the taxes. The rules for each group pull are/should be agreed to by the group in advance, and we always encourage participants to ask any key questions before doing so, if they’re not handed the information upfront to review.