Online social games operator VGW has confirmed a conditional partnership with the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation of the Cortina Rancheria tribe in California.
VGW will work directly with the Kletsel Economic Development Authority (KEDA) – the economic arm of the tribe – to expand the availability of free-to-play online social gaming platforms, including sweepstakes promotions, across the state.
The partnership has emerged amid contested debates surrounding AB 831, a proposed bill to fully ban sweepstakes casinos, which has been supported by other tribes in the Golden State.
They view sweepstakes and ‘illegal online gaming’ as a threat to the consensus, risking funding for local communities and public services.
Conversely, KEDA has a different perspective, as voiced by its CEO Eric Wright when he recently told California’s Senate Appropriations Committee about the transformative potential of digital platforms for tribal communities.
In a letter to the committee, he spoke of the funding opportunity for critical needs, such as food, healthcare, housing, and education, while taking the opportunity to denounce AB831 for its lack of unanimous tribal support.
The communication further explained their position and what differentiates them from other tribal communities.
“For tribes like ours, far from high‐traffic tourism corridors, geography has always limited traditional economic development.
“Large, well‐established gaming tribes already benefit from these geographic advantages and decades of success. It is self‐serving for them to advocate for policies that restrict emerging digital commerce opportunities for others, effectively holding smaller and less‐advantaged tribes hostage to their location.”
VGW has pledged to be a “responsible corporate citizen”, to set a gold standard for the industry on player protections, age verification, and compliance matters.
Laurence Escalante, the Founder and CEO of VGW, who recently had a takeover bid approved, expressed the company’s satisfaction on the partnership with KEDA, as well as welcoming the tribe’s opposition to AB831.
In a statement, he said that: “We’ve operated in North America for more than a decade, creating not only great games, user experiences and entertainment but ensuring this is done safely, responsibly and at the highest level of standards – in line with our core value of ‘we do what’s right’.
“But we acknowledge that as our business and innovative industry has grown, external interest in what we do has increased, including how we support and engage in the communities where we operate. We take corporate social responsibility seriously and are thrilled to have found a tribal partner like KEDA.”
Image credit: VGW
