The New York legal hammer could be set to hit Blazesoft after Autumn Boatner has taken action against the firm.
Boatner is pursuing a class action suit against the operator in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Boatner claims she lost money with the firm as a result of their allegedly illegal sweepstakes operation during 2024. The claimant is also taking aim at the strategy of Blazesoft when it comes to player acquisition, alleging that there was false marketing from the firm over its status as a F2P sweepstake.
Significantly, the complaint also alleges that the operator is in breach of laws in the Big Apple, allowing players under the age of 21 to play.
The complaint stated: “Defendants’ misconduct inflicts particularly severe harm on vulnerable populations, including individuals predisposed to gambling addiction and younger consumers targeted through ‘free play’ marketing.
“Defendants aggressively market and promote their online casinos on social media platforms, using deceptive tactics to entice users into engaging with their seemingly harmless games.”
The suit states: “For every dollar spent on Gold Coins, players receive a proportional number of Sweeps Coins, exposing Gold Coins as a thin veil concealing the reality that players are effectively purchasing Sweeps Coins to engage in real-money virtual gambling.”
High Stakes for sweepstake casinos
It follows legal action being taken against Stake’s US operation in Illinois over allegations that the firm is replicating its real-money platform with a sweepstake site.
One of the vital elements of the case is the claim that both the sweepstake operation and the real-money operation of Stake both utilise the same promotional channels including the ambassadors they utilise, such as music legend Drake.
Celebrity endorsements form a key part of Stake’s aggressive marketing campaign that it has undertaken on social media in the past year.
“The point of Stake’s aggressive sponsorship strategy is clear: by linking itself with globally admired celebrities and teams, Stake aims to normalise online gambling, increase consumer trust, and disguise the risks of gambling behind an appealing entertainment-focused image,” the filing noted.
“Critically, Stake.us and Stake.com sponsor the exact same celebrities and sports teams, further demonstrating that Stake.us is simply a strategic copy of Stake.com, deceptively rebranded as a ‘social casino’ to evade gambling regulations.”
