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OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (Gambling911.com) - Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier has given social media platforms Reddit, TikTok and others until October 23 to confirm they have stopped advertising sites such as Stake and Chumba. Yet, Fort Myers news outlet, the News-Press, continues to promote sweepstakes casinos to those in Florida....and so far, crickets.
Uthmeier also sent a letter to Google, which owns YouTube.
“It has come to my attention that your company may be advertising illegal ‘sweepstakes’ casinos on its social media platforms to residents of Florida,” Uthmeier wrote in the letter to Google.
“Promoting illegal gambling is a crime under Florida law.”
But Gambling911.com has uncovered media outlets in Uthmeier's own backyard promoting the likes of Mega Bonanza and Stake.us. The state of Florida filed a lawsuit against Stake last month.
Take the News-Press, which is the local newspaper of Fort Myers. It is part of the USA TODAY Network/Gannett and dates back to 1884.
A screenshot obtained by Gambling911.com shows various sweepstakes casinos being ranked “by the News-Press.” That alone, however, might not constitute evidence that the casinos are being specifically marketed to Florida residents.
Current third-party traffic estimates put News-Press.com at roughly 950,000 to 1 million monthly visits, with approximately 86.6% of its traffic originating in the United States. The site also attracts visitors from Canada, India, the UK and Brazil. So while the News-Press is fundamentally a Southwest Florida local publication, its online audience extends well beyond the state.
But the page in question specifically promotes the "Best Florida online casinos and apps to try for free this week".
Then on Thursday, The News-Press featured another 'Best Florida Online Casinos and Apps to Try for Free This Week"
The screenshot appears below (dated October 1). Maybe they didn't get the memo. But this is a full 48 hours after Uthmeier's actions.
To be clear, the only online sports betting company regulated in the state of Florida is Hard Rock Bet. The Sunshine State does not currently regulate iGaming (online casinos).
Stake and Chumba continue to accept customers from Florida.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
