Adam Roarty is a journalist covering sports betting, regulation, and industry innovation for CasinoBeats. His coverage includes tax increases in the UK, covering breaking stories in the ever-evolving landscape of US betting such as the...
Read Full BioFake online Amazon casinos have been using Jeff Bezos‘ image in an attempt to dupe unsuspecting users. The platforms claim to be founded by the billionaire behind Amazon, but have no real connection to Bezos or the company.
One site, named Amazon Slots, is running ad campaigns across a range of social media platforms in Italy featuring Bezos as well as Italian influencer Khaby Lane.
The ads show Bezos and Lane’s faces alongside promotions, including “€1,500 free and no deposit” as well as 200 free spins. These have been appearing on Facebook, Instagram, and Google.
Meta, the owners of Facebook and Instagram, generates more than 10% of its overall revenue – around $16 billion per year – through advertising scams, illegal gambling, and banned products.
Internal emails revealed that Meta executives are aware of this, but have a limit on how much revenue they are willing to sacrifice to stop scams running on their platforms.
Scams Bypass Italy’s Gambling Ban, Running On Google and Apple
Italy also has a ban on gambling advertising, and the country is involved in a legal battle with Google over gambling promotions appearing on YouTube. It has prohibited gambling promotions since 2018, including any ads promoting gambling through sports or online.
Despite this, the ads have been appearing on social media in Italy. The fake Amazon Slots app is also available to download on the App Store and Google Play Store, claiming to have over 50,000 downloads, with a rating of 4.6 stars. It uses Amazon’s logo as a further way to appear genuine.
There is a real company called Amazon Slots, but this uses jungle imagery rather than the online shopping site’s logo.
Another Amazon Casino ‘Founded’ By Bezos
Another fake platform claiming to be founded by Bezos is Amazon Slot Casino. The website uses cartoon and real images of Bezos, billing itself as “The Official Slot Machine Amazon Experience”.
On its homepage, it adds: “This is the casino for fearless gamers—available on iOS, Android, and desktop. No fluff. Just real slots, real stakes, and real wins. Let’s spin and conquer.”
It also offers users a $1,500 sign-up bonus, but links to download its app redirect to a site named slotsandcasino.ag. Scam websites frequently use real gambling sites or celebrities in attempts to appear genuine.
Other Scams Using Celebrities To Appear Genuine
Another scam managed to defraud Catena Media owner Erik Bergman of $1.25 million earlier this year by using MrBeast as the face of the company. In addition to impersonating MrBeast, the scammers also pretended to be Stake owner Ed Craven, YouTuber Adin Ross, and Mark Rober to dupe Bergman in a chat group.
Other scams have used Drake, known for his promotion of online casino Stake, to promote themselves, without the rapper’s knowledge. This scam operates by allowing users to win on the platform before forcing users to pay and then blocking withdrawals.
The incidents stress the importance of users doing due diligence before depositing money at online gambling sites. Scams can be quick to spread across social media and the internet, but reviews and reports that they are scams are also easy to find.
