❗Help close the gap: We still need to raise $40,000 by the end of March. Donate now
Codebreaker

What happens in virtual Vegas stays with you wherever you go

Marc Sanchez May 17, 2012

myVegas is a game being rolled out by Playstudios, helmed by former Wynn Las Vegas president Andrew Pascal. Through apps on like Facebook, the games will have the look and feel of real gambling, but no money will be changing hands. The Wall Street Journal explains how the company plans to make money:

The games are free within daily virtual-chip limits. Heavy users—generally between 3% and 5% of users—pay money to buy more chips, which allow them to play more. And those fees can translate into significant revenue.

myVegas isn’t the first to try and capitalize on, why don’t I just say it, people ADDICTED TO GAMBLING. Playtika and Double Down have similar ventures already up and running on Facebook. myVegas is being tested now in the Philippines, and will debut in the states this summer. All three companies are being financed, in whole or partially, by big-name casino enterprises like MGM and Caesars. No longer will the desperation of bleary-eyed gamblers walking around like zombies on the Vegas strip because they just lost the next two house payments be confined to Nevada. Nope. Now you can whiff that despair in your neighborhood, in the office, and of course wherever you like to log on to Facebook.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.