In other broadcast news, political commentator Tucker Carlson has urged young men not to pay their gambling debts.

In a stream posted on Kick two days ago titled “Max Win or Week Break – Pray Please”, he racked up more losses to add to the previous four losing sessions. In total, his losses over the five days added up to $19.5 million. 

He then stated, “I gotta force myself to just get off for the next f*cking week or something,” 

“Yeah, I lost 19.5 mil… 19.5 mil in the last five streams. I can’t even see straight, I’m shook, I’m actually fully shook, I’m fully f*cking shook.”

His sponsorship deal with Stake offsets the streamer’s losses. The exact amount of the deal has not been officially revealed, but Trainwreck has indicated that it exceeds $19.5 million.

In a stream in October 2022, he stated, “I’ve been paid $360 million for 16 months of gambling.”

He has over 400,000 followers on Kick, a platform under the same ownership group as Stake. 

Celebrities Revealing the Other Side Of Gambling

Stake also sponsors Drake in a deal reportedly worth $100 million a year. The rapper is estimated to make around $3.4 million per weekly stream on Kick. 

He recently also revealed big gambling losses on the platform, showing his monthly losses of over $8 million. 

Like Trainwreck, Drake emphasized how his gambling losses were affecting him. He commented in a story posted on Instagram, “Gotta share the other side of gambling… Losses are so fried right now. I hope I can post a big win for you all soon cause I’m the only one that has never seen a max these guys max once a week.”

It is unclear whether the two influencers are under any sort of directive from Stake to highlight the dangers of gambling, as well as showcase their wins when they occur. 

Similarly, Fanatics Sportsbook recently showed Jay-Z losing $1 million on a bet on the NBA Finals. The rapper, who holds a significant stake in the company, wagered the huge sum on the Oklahoma City Thunder to beat the Indiana Pacers 4-1 in the series. 

Oklahoma eventually won the series, but in seven games, thus seeing Jay-Z lose his bet.

Don’t Pay Your Gambling Debts, Says Tucker Carlson

While Drake, Trainwreck, and Jay-Z offset their gambling losses with their ties to the gambling companies, Tucker Carlson this week urged bettors not to pay their gambling debts. 

Speaking on a recent episode of The Tucker Carlson Show, he said, “I really do want to start a political party: ‘Don’t Pay Your Credit Card Bill.’ ‘Do Not Pay Your Gambling Debts.”

Carlson blamed the gambling companies for preying on young men to lead them to big gambling losses.

In comments noted by Awful Announcing, he said to guest Saagar Enjeti, “Why not just say it’s disgusting and it’s predatory?”

Fellow journalist Enjeti agreed before Carlson continued, “And by the way, they’re preying … on the frustration and sadness of young men who know they’re never going to be able to afford a wife, kids, and a house.”

Drake and Trainwreck have received similar criticism for promoting gambling, but the recent revelation of significant losses has gained some praise for highlighting the dangers of the activity. 

The post Trainwreck Loses $19.5 Million on Stream, Carlson Says “Don’t Pay Your Gambling Debt” appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The story, shared with his 142 million followers, revealed jaw-dropping figures, including that Drake wagered $124.5 million in the last 30 days, losing $8.2 million. In the past week alone, he wagered $50.2 million, losing $5.8 million.

He then addressed his followers:

“Gotta share the other side of gambling… Losses are so fried right now. I hope I can post a big win for you all soon cause I’m the only one that has never seen a max these guys max once a week.”

He also shared some recent bets, which include a $200,000 wager on the Oklahoma Thunder to beat the Indiana Pacers by 6-10 points and a $600,000 bet on the Thunder to win straight up on the road.

Drake’s Known For Placing (and Losing) Large Wagers

The June 18 stories are not an isolated incident where Drake posts some of his bets. The rapper is famous for placing substantial amounts, often ending up on the losing end. Some examples of large bets resulting in losses include:

• $1.2 million on Jake Paul to beat Tyson Fury in 2023
• $1 million on the Toronto Maple Leafs to beat the Florida Panthers
• $1 million on Argentina to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in regular time (they won, but in extra time).
• $565,000 on Tyson Fury to beat Oleksandr Usyk
• $355,000 bet on Mike Tyson to beat Jake Paul in 2024.
• $210,000 on Tyler Fritz to win the US Open in 2024.

Of course, the rapper has also won some sizeable bets. That includes a $1.15 million bet on the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl LVIII, earning him over $2.3 million.

The “Drake Curse”

Drake’s fortunes have also been associated with more than just his bets. The “Drake Curse” is a long-running online joke suggesting that athletes or teams that Drake publicly supports or endorses lose shortly after.

There are numerous examples of soccer stars, UFC fighters, boxers, and football players taking photos with the rapper and losing afterward. In 2019, Italian soccer club AS Roma even joked that club players are prohibited from posting pictures with Drake.

That said, there have been examples of curse breakers. That includes his hometown Toronto Raptors winning the NBA title in 2019, despite the rapper acting as an ambassador.

Critics Slam Influence and Lack of Transparency

Drake’s photos of betting slips have also sparked considerable criticism surrounding the influence of celebrities and responsible gambling.

Critics argue that his posts show gambling as a get-rich-quick scheme and that his large bets create unrealistic expectations for ordinary followers who do not understand the risks associated.

His posts have also faced scrutiny due to his connection with crypto casino Stake. Critics point out that his posts can lead fans to gamble at the platform, which is illegal in many countries, including the US and, recently, the UK.

His connection to Stake also draws transparency questions. Rumours suggest that his partnership with the platform is worth a nine-figure sum. Also, that Stake at least partly funds his bankroll.

That raises doubts about whether the money he bets is actually his own. Or is he simply playing a role as a high-roller influencer, not affecting his finances?

The post Drake Reveals $8 Million Gambling Loss in a Month, Reigniting Controversy Over Celebrity Betting appeared first on CasinoBeats.

A post by user ReginaldWatson on Reddit flagged up a fake casino site, posting a screenshot of the homepage and warning users to recognize it as a scam. 

The post goes on to detail “how the scam works:

1. The victim finds the casino through an advertisement on social media that features an enticing bonus.
2. The victim joins the site, receives their bonus, and begins to play what they believe to be legitimate casino games.
3. The casino software is privately hosted and altered to have extremely favorable RTP% – i.e. rigged in your favor. YOU WILL WIN if you play, probably a large amount of money.
4. When you go to withdraw, you’ll be met with some hurdles. Part of the verification process will be that you must make a deposit, likely between $100-$500. 
5. After the casino receives your deposit, they will provide excuses or just outright ban your account. No matter what you do, THEY WILL PROVIDE A REASON NOT TO PAY YOU.
6. The casino keeps your deposit. You were scammed.”

Websites Flagged As Scams

Users who have been scammed by the sites, which appear to be run by the same group, identify urls of the fake casinos. 

Websites include the following:

• Betstakez.com
• Cryptostakez.com
• GoldenMirage.com
• Dragoluck.com
• Velnux.com
• WeoPlay.com
• CasinoBrango.com
• Cylovex.com
• Luxspace.top
• Playfortune.io
• Lopotex.com
• Hunnyplay.io

Some of the URLs appear to be no longer active, such as GoldenMirage and Velnux, but others remain accessible and primarily feature the same two landing pages.

Fake Claims Attempt To Show Legitimacy

The sites claim to have paid out over $24 billion to players, but judging by comments from Reddit users, this does not seem accurate. 

One user also notes the outlandish claim of having 51 million users, commenting: “These sites do NOT have 51+ million registered users. For reference, Draftkings and Fanduel, the two largest publicly traded gaming companies with NFL, NBA, MLB, ESPN, etc. network deals, don’t even have that amount of users. Stake, the largest crypto casino, doesn’t even come close to the number of registered users that these scam casinos claim.”

The Luxspace and Cylovex landing pages prompt users to register on the site and include a checkbox to agree to the user agreement; however, there is no link to the actual user agreement. 

Sites Require Deposits Before Allowing Withdrawals

A user registered on Cylovex reported being required to make a $250 deposit before being allowed to withdraw funds. 

The user, Quartz87, detailed their experience in a post three days ago, writing: “Yeah I saw this on Instagram saying Drake wanted to ‘help’ people and when I clicked it, it took me to Cylovex casino. The post had been from a BBC article that I could not find on their website, nor from the reporter in question no matter what I googled,”

“I used my throwaway details and within a day ran the $4,000 bonus up to $14K, lol. Obviously I would go to withdraw and that’s when I saw the $250 requirement.”

“Started doing searches about the website which would never show up anything. Looked up the domain, registered June 2, lol. Week prior to me seeing the site.”

Similarly, a user on Luxspace stated that they were told they need to deposit $150 to “confirm KYC” before a withdrawal is possible. 

Many users also report that the websites have only been set up in the last few weeks, but when searching for reviews online, there are claims that individuals have been using the sites for years. 

Sites Copying Real Gambling Companies

Drake is an ambassador for Stake, and a quick Google search can reveal he does not endorse any of the sites listed above. 

As well as reports of fake social media posts and news articles, the sites also operate by copying terms from real gambling websites. 

A user posted, “These sites copy Stake’s Terms of Service word for word, but conveniently leave out the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and many other “wealthier” countries from their list of restricted countries.”

Stake is an online casino that has been geo-blocked in the UK but operates through Stake.us in the US, utilizing a sweepstakes casino model. 

Some states in the US have explicitly banned sweepstakes casinos, with New York the latest on the verge of passing legislation. Many companies continue to operate in a legal gray area. 

Although there have been legal challenges in courts, the fake casino sites being reported on Reddit are a different entity. 

States Warn Of Online Casino Scams

Earlier this year, the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) warned users of a growing number of online casino scams. Michigan, Maryland, Indiana, and Delaware have also issued similar warnings this year.

The post Reddit Users Warn of Online Casino Scams Using Drake and Fake News to Lure Victims appeared first on CasinoBeats.