Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino is dealing with a flood of fake ads on social media that copy its branding to target California consumers with a scam. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but Chukchansi is anything but flattered by its copycat.
Ads that appeared in January on social media touted a new mobile gaming app and used the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino logo and a photo of the resort. But, the Chukchansi Tribe has no such gaming app. Real-money online gambling is illegal in California.
The tribe posted a message on X and Facebook that explained the erroneous ads “are not affiliated with us.”
The message, which appeared on Facebook, read:
“Chukchansi Gold Casino announces the launch of its new gaming app for Android and IOS! Join us and get a welcome bonus for new players!”
The advertisement offered a $1,500 gaming bonus to new players. Such a gaming app offering online casino play would be illegal under California law. The state does not license or permit online casinos or so-called “iGaming,” nor does it permit online sports betting apps.
California not an online gambling state
Tribes in California are permitted to be licensed for retail casinos, and a few also offer poker rooms. There are also isolated community “card rooms,” but the state does not have legal online gaming. In 2022, California voters rejected a pair of proposals that could have led to legal online gaming. California is the largest state market that does not have some form of legal online gaming. The state economy is the seventh-largest in the world.
The Bureau of Gambling Control and the California Gambling Control Commission work cooperatively to regulate gaming in the state. Those divisions do have an investigative team, but it’s unclear if those state agencies are pursuing the people behind the fake ads.
Canada, other states dealing with similar scam issues
Since 2023, Canada has been dealing with similar fake ads impersonating some of its provincially-operated casinos on social media. Bonus.com speculated that it was only a matter of time before the scammers would try the same strategy in the US.
Other states have seen fake online gaming ads on social media platforms in recent weeks and months. In Kansas, ads appeared on Facebook claiming that several casinos were offering online betting apps, including Prairie Band Casino & Resort. Those fake advertisements also offered a bogus $1,500 bonus. Last year in November, ads popped up in Facebook that claimed Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Mississippi was online with a mobile gaming app. The ads claimed that establishment was online and open for iGaming, and offered a $1,000 bonus to new players.
Consumers should consult the CA Bureau of Gambling Control website for information on gaming in the state. As of this morning, that website did not have an advisory on these fake advertisements however.