Some customers are reporting PayPal freezing accounts that they used for gambling and poker, and in some cases their money is being seized by the payment provider! And on the topic of money, it looks as if Las Vegas will soon be moving toward cashless gaming.
Hello my friends, and welcome to This Week in Gambling! The only show on YouTube with a Rotten Tomato score of 27%! We have gaming news to discuss out of Las Vegas, but up first we’re talking about PayPal freezing accounts and the funds of players who have accounts with them! And that is this week’s big story! Some PayPal customers are reporting that the company has frozen the funds in their accounts, or in some cases, confiscated their cash all without giving them much of an explanation! And they (like most of us would be) are just a bit pissed off!
One customer, who had nearly $27,000 frozen in her account, had used PayPal to exchange money for her poker league… amongst other things. And professional poker player Chris Moneymaker had $12,000 dollars frozen in his account. Money that PayPal eventually just took for themselves! Now, we know that traditionally payment processors have not really liked gambling transactions. And to be fair, it seems that PayPal freezing accounts is also happening with non-gambling accounts offering a litany of excuses… none of which make much sense.
Now their customers are starting to fight back! Eventually, PayPal has returned some of the monies that they confiscated. But that has not stopped people from moving forward with the Federal lawsuit against them over their actions, seeking restitution and damages! Now there’s even talk of a class action lawsuit over PayPal freezing accounts as more victims realize they’re not alone and start to come forward.
And as we wait to see how PayPal responds to all of this, it looks as if Las Vegas is gearing up to go completely cashless in the very near future! Soon ATM’s, the cash cage, and putting your bills down on the felt will all be a thing of the past. You can thank the pandemic for that… at least in part. After some initial concerns, the Nevada Gaming Commission has approved cashless payments for casino games in the state, saying that actually they’re safer and more secure! Go figure! Some of these systems could be in place at locations in and around Las Vegas as early as March, so be looking for them.
This week we do not have a new game review to share with you! But, we do have a review for… umm, well… I don’t know what to call it, other than a portal! It’s the PORTL Hologram booth, in fact, which was debuted at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas last year! And we had a first look! This technology enables casinos to interact with customers on the casino floor, live in real time, face to face, via a hologram! Players can order drinks, get directions, locate games, find out about shows, just about anything! All while interacting with a live casino employee through the PORTL!
Of course, casinos aren’t the only ones who could benefit from this technology, and there’s even talk that the PORTL could replace zoom calls at some point! Wouldn’t that be cool? You can find this review along, with hundreds more, when you visit our YouTube channel.
Finally this week, it has at long last been confirmed that Martha Stewart will be opening her first ever restaurant in Las Vegas this spring at the Paris Hotel and Casino. My understanding is that the restaurant will draw on elements from Ms. Stewart’s personal life, including her time in prison where she learned to make wine in the toilet. It has a unique, sort of earthy aroma to it.