Washington Tribes Warn Players about Online Casino Scam

Washington tribal operators are concerned about the proliferation of a prominent scam inviting players to gamble online. To make matters worse, some of these ads have impersonated existing operators, trying to pass their products as legal.

As it turns out, the scammers might not be interested in offering casino games but in stealing customers’ data.

Illegal Gambling or Phishing?

The Evergreen State is not among the iGaming states. However, this hasn’t prevented bad actors from preying upon unaware consumers who have been misled with false advertising.

According to a recent report by Casino Reports, locals are being showered with enticements to gamble online even if the state does not allow online casinos. Many of these unlicensed sites have impersonated Washington’s gambling tribes, causing locals to unwittingly download unlicensed gaming apps.

These ads have been airing across social media sites, including Instagram, potentially reaching millions of people.

Jerry Allen, chief executive office of 7 Cedars Casino in Sequim discussed the matter with Casino Reports, saying that these fraudulent ads have been airing for over a month. He confirmed that his tribe is not the only one that’s being affected and that several tribes have been impersonated by illicit operators.

Allen added that he has downloaded one of the apps himself and tried to play. When he did, a message told him that he cannot place online wagers in Washington, leading him to the conclusion that this is an elaborate phishing attempt rather than illegal gambling.

Casinos Reached Out to Their Players

Allen noted that the Tulalip, Muckleshoot, and Northern Quest tribes have all had their brands hijacked by operators claiming to offer legal gaming. To top it all off, many of these sites and apps have incorporated the logo of the Washington State Gambling Commission in an attempt to further sway gamblers.

Allen emphasized that Washington’s tribes wish to protect their brands and have been sending messages to players. He added that every tribe is doing the same thing to make sure that at least the players in their databases know what’s going on and are protected.

To that end, operators have reached out to their customers via emails, warning them about the scam. Some have also made posts across social media, advising players to remain vigilant.

If you see an add like this in your social media feed, using our pictures or logos, please DO NOT CLICK on it. This IS NOT legitimate and not a 7 Cedars product. This goes for similar ads using other WA casino’s likenesses.

7 Cedars Casino

In the meantime, the Washington State Gambling Commission is currently investigating the matter. However, since the issue is under an active investigation, the regulator was unable to elaborate. The regulator has not confirmed whether these apps truly offer gambling or are, as Allen suggested, phishing attempts. However regulatory action is very likely in either case.

This wouldn’t be the first time such scams have been reported either as operators in California noticed similar ads.