Los Angeles city attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced Thursday that a lawsuit has been filed against online gambling giant Stake.us for allegedly operating illegally within the state of California.
According to Feldstein Soto’s office, Stake.us — which is the American branch of the larger Stake online gambling entity that operates across the world — is “unlicensed and is operating in violation of State law.”
The Stake.us website has been live in the U.S. since Aug. 1, 2022.
Stake.us is an online casino that operates like a traditional one but doesn’t allow “real money gambling,” the city attorney’s office explained. Because of this, they promote themselves as a “safe and free gaming experience” or a “social casino” where players can redeem their winnings for cryptocurrency or digital gift cards.
“These activities are in violation of California’s strict anti-gambling laws,” officials said.
American users who try to access Stake.com are greeted with a pop-up message informing them that while the website they were originally trying to access is not available in the U.S., another website – stake.us — is available.
The city attorney’s office claims that Stake.us is just “a carbon copy” of the original Stake website. Indeed, the two sites do bear some similarities.
“In an attempt to circumvent U.S. gambling regulations, including California’s anti-gambling statutes, Stake.us – a carbon copy of Stake.com – was created with virtually the same layout, games, graphics, colors and user interfaces,” the city attorney’s office said in a statement released on Thursday. “Similar to Stake.com and other online casinos, Stake.us offers online casino games – slots, table games, scratch cards, live dealer games, and exclusive ‘Stake Originals’ – all of which are games of chance.”
Per the city attorney, in 2024, Stake earned approximately $4.7 billion in gross revenue, and much of that money came from the United States, including California.
“Under the moniker of ‘America’s Social Casino,’ and despite claims that it is just a game, Stake.us is a rogue and real money gambling racket with destructive repercussions for its players,” said Hydee Feldstein Soto. “We are holding Stake.us and its accomplices accountable for violating the law, targeting California for these illegal activities and facilitating addictive gambling behaviors.”
Struggling with problem gambling? Confidential and free support is available through the California Department of Public Health’s Problem Gambling Helpline, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can contact them by:
- Phone: 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) to speak with a master’s-level counselor
- Text: Send “SUPPORT” to 53342 to receive information and assistance via text. NOTE: Standard messaging rates may apply.
- Online chat: Real-time support through online chat can be accessed at 800gambler.chat
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