Snoop Dogg Enters Sweepstakes Market with Dogg House Casino

^{Rapper and entrepreneur Snoop Dogg, seen at this year's Golden Globes, is lending his name and style to Dogg House Casino in a partnership with Trivelta. (Photo: Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP)}

Snoop Dogg is getting into the sweepstakes casino space with Dogg House Casino, a new social casino platform announced Thursday.

iGaming tech company Trivelta unveiled the casino app's partnership with Snoop Dogg, saying that it would use the same model as other sweepstakes casinos that have become popular in the United States. Despite their popularity in the US, they have continued to draw plenty of controversy in recent years.

Snoop Dogg Lends Music, Style to Casino Site 

Rather than emphasizing the traditional casino gameplay of the app, Trivelta is focusing more on the vibe that doghouse Casino will introduce. The platform blends online casino play with music and branding that reflects the creative vision of its celebrity founder.

“For the first time, players can step into a casino built exactly the way I wanted it,” Snoop Dogg said in a statement. “I wanted something innovative, immersive, and fun, and Trivelta worked with Deathrow Games to help me bring that to life.”

The casino will feature exclusive Snoop Dogg tracks made for the app on Snoop Dogg Radio. Players will be able to customize the soundtrack they play with, and new songs are set to drop regularly. 

“It’s rare to work with an artist who is this deeply involved in the product,” Trivelta CEO Carson Hubbard said in a statement. “Snoop shaped the look, sounds, and feel of Dogg House Casino to create something that sits at the intersection of iGaming, music, and culture.”

As with any sweepstakes casino, the Dogg House Casino will use a dual-currency system. Players can use Snoop Coins for free-to-play social gaming (equivalent to “Gold Coins” at many sweepstakes casinos), while Snoop Cash can be redeemed for prizes, similar to how "Sweeps Coins" work.

Users can’t purchase Snoop Cash directly, but can get a small amount for free each day and can get more as a “bonus” with the purchase of Snoop Coins. This structure is commonly used by sweepstakes casinos to avoid classification as real-money gambling.

Sweepstakes Model Continues to Catch Fire from US Gaming Regulators

It's that very model that has caught the ire of regulators and gaming industry officials. The American Gaming Association has argued that there is no real difference between the dual currency model and traditional online casinos, as players can effectively purchase Sweeps Coins – like Snoop Cash – at a dollar-for-dollar rate, making it almost transparent that these transactions are really about acquiring the currency that can be exchanged for cash and prizes.

As a result, lawmakers have cracked down on sweepstakes casinos across the country, with many states having adjusted their laws or altered the wording of regulations to make it clear that these sites are violating gaming rules. Dogg House Casino is unavailable in what appears to be 11 states, including major markets like California, New York, New Jersey, and Michigan.

Celebrity influencers haven’t been immune to the backlash against sweepstakes casinos, either. Infamously, rapper Drake and streamer Adin Ross face multiple lawsuits related to their promotion of Stake, an online crypto casino that Drake has promoted heavily during live streams.

This site isn’t Snoop Dogg’s first foray into the world of casino gambling. He has previously lent his name to multiple slot machines, including online slots game Snoop Dogg Dollars and Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild, which has appeared in land-based casinos.