Lights Of Luck

What is Lights Of Luck?

Sweepstakes casino platforms like VGW have ramped up their lobbying efforts in state capitals after suffering numerous operational setbacks in recent years.

Through the passing of laws banning dual-currency sweepstakes games or by cease-and-desist orders, VGW has exited numerous states and limited where sweeps coins, which can be bought and gambled for real money, are available.

Chumba Casino, VGW’s flagship brand, says in its Sept. 16 updated terms and conditions that the platform is not available in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia.

What is Lights Of Luck?

It also said Spectrum was able to “specifically corroborate” Black Cube’s claims that Evolution’s games were accessible and generating revenue in several “prohibited locations”. These included Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Evolution has for several years denied any involvement in illegal activity. In a statement to iGB in November, the company said its defamation litigation aimed to hold Playtech and Black Cube “accountable for its wrongdoing” and to protect shareholder value.

The report also revealed that Evolution had ignored virtual currency risks, as they had accepted wagers in said currency without triggering the enhanced due diligence normally expected in such cases.

How to play Lights Of Luck

The factor that led some operators to drop out of the licensing race could be the “uncertainty” created by regulations that “didn’t seem set in stone”, says Leckert.

“Some of them [investors] that were looking at Japan were looking at a big IR licence or nothing. With Tokyo and Yokohama being out of the mix, maybe some weren’t as interested anymore and decided to sit back, and wait and see how regulation and licensing shake out.”

One concern for operators is “the short duration of licences and renewal of licences”, notes Leckert. For operators, the casino business licence is renewable every three years, while the IR development-plan authorisation runs for 10 years, in contrast to the 18-year IR licence term in the Philippines, for instance.