Legendz Social Casino & Sportsbook was launched in 43 US states earlier this week, on 18 November, with the remaining seven states excluded as they specifically prohibit social casinos. This is another addition to the increasingly popular US sweepstakes casino scene, where casinos bypass all the regulation trouble by simply saying you don’t gamble for real money so regulations don’t apply.
Legendz claims to be the first casino to market in both English and Spanish, and it also claims to have the highest return to player in the social casino scene. The latter claim can be easily checked by visiting the casino to see what the RTP of Pragmatic Play slots is, as these are configurable by the casino, and can be set to low, medium or high RTP.
This highly publicized launch comes amidst an ongoing debate about social gaming or sweepstakes casinos that either praises or criticizes this unregulated and untaxed form of gambling. At the moment, almost every state is going through its own legal battle to regulate online gambling, with lots of interested parties on both sides battling it out. In the meantime, social casinos simply circumvent all that by saying it’s not real money gambling.
“With a full suite of slots, live casino and sportsbook as well as some unique features that we’ll be rolling out over the next few months, we think our guests will find a social gaming experience they can’t get anywhere else,”
Henrik Persson Ekdahl, one of the site’s co-founders, said in a press release.
Legendz uses two types of virtual coins – Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins – for social gaming. The Sweeps Coins are distributed exclusively and free of charge through various channels such as social media, promotional bonuses, and as a complimentary gift with Gold Coin purchases. Gold Coins, of course, can be purchased for real money. Players can redeem Sweeps Coins for cash prizes or gift cards, which means they essentially get converted back into cash.
Ohio, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, Michigan, Idaho, and Washington are the excluded seven states because they explicitly prohibit social casinos. In other states, even those with elaborate legal frameworks for gambling, it is possible to circumvent regulation by offering gambling for virtual coins as opposed to gambling in US Dollars. Though you pay for the coins by US Dollars.
Legendz casino offers live dealer games by Live88, as well as RNG table games by OneTouch. There are lots of slots by reputable providers on offer – Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming, Popiplay, Playson, Booming Games, Kalamba, AvatarUX, Novomatic and some smaller ones such as Slotmill, Gaming Corps, Gaming Realms, Yolted, 4ThePlayer, Spinza, Evoplay, Play Rogue, Slotopia. In total, there are 250 slots available on the site, which isn’t a huge offer, but it has nice variance due to the sheer number of different providers. Some of the games are exclusive to Legendz.
These are all games that can be found on real-money casinos as well, so the line between real casinos and sweepstakes casinos is further blurred. The early sweepstakes casinos had their own games that were unique and proprietary, but this new brand of sweepstakes casinos hosts games by top slots developers.
Furthermore, Legendz also lets you place sports bets – including college sports – thereby offering an easy route to circumventing the legal problems for anyone who wishes to place a sports bet and is unable to do so in his state of residence.
Opposition coming from California
Meanwhile, the Indian tribes of California and the major countrywide online sports betting companies, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and Fanatics, have united to make a stand against the gray market sweepstakes sites such as Legendz. They claim that these sites are diverting millions from legal gambling by sidestepping regulation and taxation, and that their revenue is $2 billion right now and that it could potentially reach $4 billion by the end of 2025.
The next step of this unlikely alliance is to alert the regulatory bodies of each state, starting with California, to the revenue that’s being lost due to the existence of social casinos and sportsbooks that are sidestepping regulation.
Most forms of gambling are illegal in California at the moment, which includes online sportsbooks and online casinos. As it’s not possible to legally place a bet at an online casino in California, sweepstakes casinos are increasingly popular in the state. The tribes have repeatedly halted every attempt to legalise online gambling in California as they see it as a threat to their land-based casino monopoly, but as a result of this firm stance, sweepstakes casinos appeared and are getting the lion’s share of online profits.
Future of sweepstakes casinos
Fantasy sports were unregulated at one point, until they grew large enough to be noticed, and then transitioned into something that has the power to change the legal landscape. Eventually, they led to the opening of the market as a whole.
The fate of sweepstakes casinos will likely be the same – they will be forced to enter the legal system or they will disappear. At the moment, sweepstakes casinos are filling the gap in the market. As soon as that gap is closed – by prohibiting social casinos – the opportunity to make money from it will be gone. This is, in all likelihood, a temporary gap in the market that allows those that were fast enough to make a lot of non taxable money. But the future isn’t bright; there is no way that the interested parties such as the Californian tribes or DraftKings not manage to push the legislators to ban social casinos.
One thought on “Legendz Social Casino and Sportsbook Launches in 43 States; Californian tribes oppose”
Great article! It’s fascinating to see how Legendz Social Casino is making waves across 43 states, but the opposition from Californian tribes adds an interesting layer to the story. This highlights the ongoing complexities in the world of online gaming and sportsbook platforms.
I believe this conversation could be enhanced by exploring other reputable platforms that operate in regions with more regulatory flexibility. For example, KheloStar (www.khelostar.com) offers an excellent experience for players, combining live casino games and sportsbook features with user-centric innovations.
It would be great if you could consider mentioning KheloStar in your future articles or as a point of comparison for your readers. Keep up the great work in shedding light on such crucial industry developments!
Daniel has been an authority in the gambling industry since 2007, specializing in casino reviews, gambling legislation, and slot games. With over 15 years of experience as a former operator and avid player, he provides honest, transparent insights, earning a reputation for calling out rogue brands.
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Committed to empowering players with accurate, reliable information, Daniel continues to explore emerging trends in the gambling world.
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Daniel Horvat
November 20, 2024
Great article! It’s fascinating to see how Legendz Social Casino is making waves across 43 states, but the opposition from Californian tribes adds an interesting layer to the story. This highlights the ongoing complexities in the world of online gaming and sportsbook platforms.
I believe this conversation could be enhanced by exploring other reputable platforms that operate in regions with more regulatory flexibility. For example, KheloStar (www.khelostar.com) offers an excellent experience for players, combining live casino games and sportsbook features with user-centric innovations.
It would be great if you could consider mentioning KheloStar in your future articles or as a point of comparison for your readers. Keep up the great work in shedding light on such crucial industry developments!