RYAN Seacrest has been sued for promoting an alleged ‘illegal gambling’ site as part of his deal with an online casino, court records obtained by The U.S. Sun show.
The Wheel of Fortune and American Idol host is facing a lawsuit from Aubrey Carillo, who alleges she “lost money” due to the company’s “criminal scam.”
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In December 2023, Chumba Casino, an online social slot game app, announced its partnership with Ryan, 50.
The online gambling site claims it has “over one million players” who use their games every single day.
Ryan has been seen in promotions for Chumba Casino on their website, social media pages, and other online advertisements.
He most recently appeared in an ad for the casino just five days ago.
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In a lawsuit obtained by The U.S. Sun, the plantiff is suing both Ryan and parent company Virtual Gaming Worlds – requesting it shut down operations in California.
The doc claims that the online casino “violates” California Penal Code 322 – which by law “prohibits individuals from aiding or assisting in setting up, managing, or drawing any lottery, or selling or disposing of any ticket, chance, or share therein.”
The court papers, which were first reported by TMZ, also allege that Ryan and the casino are “profiting from gambling addiction.”
“For decades, the proportion of Americans diagnosed with pathological gambling held steady at less than 1 percent, with 7 million Americans believed to be suffering from a gambling addiction at an annual ‘social cost’ of $14 billion.
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“But those numbers have skyrocketed with the advent of online gambling: from 2021 to 2022, there was a 45 percent increase in the number of calls, texts, and messages to the National Problem Gambling Helpline.
“The United States may be on the cusp of an explosive growth of gambling addiction akin to the opioid crisis, fueled by online access to gambling websites,” the suit claims.
A gambling treatment provider warned in the doc: “[U]nregulated platforms [like ChumbaCasino.com] can pose significant risks for players struggling with gambling addiction.
“The lack of proper safeguards often exacerbates financial and emotional stress, making it harder for individuals to regain control.”
The plaintiff claimed that “at least one child” in her family had accessed online gambling websites, like ChumbaCasino.com, and is seeking to “protect them and other minors from future access and use of such websites.”
The suit seeks to have the state of California stop operating the online gambling websites and requests that Ryan stop “profiting” off the website.
The U.S. Sun reached out to Ryan’s rep for comment.
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In 2023, Chumba Casino announced it had entered a partnership with the TV icon.
“We were really pleased with how the GP Celebrity Challenge was received and equally excited about working with Ryan, which marks Chumba’s most notable partnership with a celebrity to date.
“Ryan’s not only obviously incredibly talented but has broad recognition and traits that align with our brand.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but we have some pretty cool plans in this space across all our brands going forward.
“Which will enhance our spend efficiency and overall marketing strategy,” David Lyons, General Manager of Chumba Casino and Global Poker, said in a statement at the time.
Ryan seemed thrilled about the gig, saying after his newest role: “Who doesn’t love games?
“I’m now excited to announce my partnership with Chumba to bring the fun home all year long, making it accessible and easy to all.”
Ryan has not yet publicly commented on the lawsuit.
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Content shared from www.the-sun.com.