Mr. Beast Turns Down Sweeps Casino, California Tribe and VGW Team Up + More

MrBeast Tells Stake CEO "No Thanks"

The CEO of Stake, a popular online sweepstakes and crypto casino platform, has offered YouTube (and Amazon Prime Video) star MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, $5 million to promote Stake on his livestream for just one hour.

To those that follow MrBeast, you won't be surprised to learn that he immediately declined the offer, saying "I don't do gambling."

One of the reasons why MrBeast has such a loyal following online is because of the quality of his content, however that is not the only reason. MrBeast has gone out of his way to build credibility with his audience by being a genuinely good person and extremely philanthropic. It comes as no surprise that he would shy away from promoting trying to exploit his audience with a vice product.

But wait, doesn't MrBeast sell chocolate bars?

Oh well, I guess we'll forgive him for his contribution to the obesity epidemic in the USA.

Gambling bad, chocolate good. Got it.

In case you didn't realize it, that was a tongue-in-cheek comment. We are big fans of MrBeast, even if he's not a fan of casinos and betting online.

VGW Finds New Ally in California Tribe

I guess money talks, at least that how it looks in California, as VGW, the operators of Chumba Casino, Luckyland Slots, and Global Poker, has found a new ally (and partner) in the fight against the proposed sweepstakes casino ban in the state.

In a news release posted on their site, VGW announced that they have entered into an agreement with the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation of the Cortina Rancheria tribe, a federally recognized Indian tribe in the State of California. There are 297 listed members of the tribe.

Eric Wright, CEO of KEDA, the Kletsel Economic Development Authority, spoke against the proposed California sweepstakes casino ban in the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing that took place on Monday. KEDA is the economic development organization for the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation.

Wright previously sent a letter to the chairwoman of the committee, Anna Caballero, and read much of into the record at Monday's hearing.

In his comments to the committee, Wright spoke of the advantages larger tribes have over smaller, geographically isolated tribes. He claimed that their advocacy for restricting emerging digital commerce opportunities for others was merely a self-serving act.

Wright pointed out that digital gaming plaforms offer isolated tribes like the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation the opportunity to fund essential services like education, housing, food security, health care, and social programs.

The California Nations Indian Gaming Association supports banning sweepstakes casinos. That comes as no surprise, as the more than fifty tribes in the organization already operate casinos in the state.

Arizona Regulatory Agency Threatens More Gaming Sites

Once again, the Arizona Department of Gaming has resorted to threatening more gaming sites that are operating in the state without licenses, claiming that the sites offer illegal online gambling that include event wagering and sweepstakes.

This latest round of cease-and-desist letters from the ADG were sent to sportsbook sites Fliff and Thrillzz, and sweepstakes casinos Pulsz and BettySweeps. The ADG has directed the operators of the sites to cease operations in the state and take proactive steps to prevent both state residents and visitors to Arizona from playing on their sites.