Are the waves of celebrities promoting sweepstakes sites like Chumba Casino actually promoting illegal gambling? That’s the allegation made in a recent lawsuit filed against Chumba Casino, and its celebrity endorser Ryan Seacrest, filed in California. The lawsuit, and its allegation that Seacrest is endorsing illegal gambling, marks a major escalation in the battle over what constitutes gambling in the United States.
The lawsuit, originally filed in the Riverside County Superior Court by Aubrey Carillo, was originally filed in October of 2024 and was recently amended to include Seacrest. The lawsuit makes a familiar argument against sweepstakes sites that because customers can purchase chips for playing, that the site is also an unlicensed casino. Carillo’s suit steps that argument up a level to include the accusation that anyone endorsing the site is also promoting illegal gambling.
“Someone this blessed in life does not need to hurt people for more money, but Defendant Seacrest does that by serving as the official celebrity endorser for ChumbaCasino.com. Defendant Seacrest promotes illegal gambling and in so doing, contributes to the rise of online gambling addiction among adults and adolescents,” the lawsuit states.
Chumba Casino’s lawyers brushed off the lawsuit as a nuisance, as they have with most of the lawsuits against them. The company defended Seacrest in comments reported on by TMZ.com adding, “Our brand ambassador Ryan Seacrest is not involved in the operation of Chumba’s business, and it is unfortunate that he has been unfairly targeted as part of this suit.”
Carillo’s suit is just one of many lawsuits filed in multiple jurisdictions against sweepstakes operators over the their unique business model and its relation to regulated gaming.