We get a lot of player requests to host virtual group slot pulls. Here’s an example of one:
Do a group pull but allow people who can’t make it to send in cash through PayPal so they can be included.
Austin M.
There’s a variety of reasons we don’t do this, and it starts out with the legality of such a practice.
Sending money to others to gamble on their behalf is generally against the law, against the casino’s rules, and oftentimes both. There is a term for this: Proxy betting.
It’s an issue that has come up in recent years, as arrests have been made, for instance, of TikTokers who have run operations where they collect money and gamble on other peoples’ behalf.
This has created challenges for those who are operating within the bounds of the law, as TikTok has reacted with broader rejection of live gambling as a result of some of these issues.
There are both federal and state laws to contend with when it comes to gambling, and we also work with the casinos locally to host these events. Casinos often times have rules against proxy betting for a variety of their own reasons.
Casinos often don’t allow players to gamble with other peoples’ money in part because of concerns of money laundering. In this, stolen money is converted to chips or tickets, some gambling is conducted, and then they cash out with other, so-called “clean” money (hence the “laundering” part of the term money laundering). Banning people gambling with other peoples’ money is a rule to aim to thwart this.
Then there’s the more practical consideration of why casinos allow events like group pulls in the first place. Casinos work with us to host events to bring players into the casino. We film our content and want to create an engaging experience. Players being required in person resolves both of those aspects.
And the reality is our group slot pulls fill up, even with the physical restrictions, so the existing structure is working out well. In fact, we’ve pioneered the first-ever Mega Group Pulls as a way of allowing more participants at an event and ensuring everyone can participate.
For all of those reasons, starting with the legal ones, our group slot pulls require people to be present. So while we do appreciate the suggestion, we do not have any plans to make this a part of our event offerings in the future.
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