PCH Teams Up with SCCG Management, Reportedly Considers Social Casino Gaming

Publishers Clearing House (PCH), an American sweepstakes company, is reportedly looking to expand into the social casino sector. The business, best known for its door-to-door marketing and prize-based games, has now unveiled a partnership with gaming advisory giant SCCG Management.

PCH Reportedly Seeks Online Sweepstakes Opportunities

SCCG Management describes itself as a “leading advisory firm in the global gaming industry.” The company is dedicated to helping its casino partners grow and maximize their iGaming proceeds.

The partnership between PCH and SCCG Management seems to suggest that the former party is interested in expanding its sweepstakes operations to the controversial online social casino sector.

Although social casinos have been a divisive matter in the US, there has been a broad pushback against their products. Despite that, sweepstakes operators continue to thrive in many markets, engaging millions of clients.

SCCG Management Is a Perfect Fit for PCH

As an experienced consultancy, SCCG Management would be the perfect partner to introduce PCH to the world of social gaming. Thanks to its experience with more traditional sweepstakes games, PCH has all the experience needed to run a flourishing social gaming business.

Although PCH is no stranger to sweepstakes, the games it has so far hosted have been more on the traditional side, involving themed daily draws featuring various cash prizes. PCH is not a complete stranger to casino-style games either and continues to host games such as roulette and others.

Considering that PCH boasts some 15 million users, its potential social casino platform could be poised for success.

Like other sweepstakes companies, PCH does not require its players to pay to participate, thus avoiding gambling regulation. This model, however, continues to irk regulators especially when online sweepstakes are involved. As a result, there has been a broader pushback against similar products, resulting in an ongoing fight for the future of American sweepstakes.

Not Everyone Is Happy About Sweepstakes’ Growth

Neither gambling regulators nor industry stakeholders have been exactly thrilled by the growth of the sweepstakes sector, which they say cannibalizes the revenues of regulated operators.

Sweepstakes, for context, operate in an unregulated grey area since their products are not traditionally considered to constitute gambling. Regulators across many states have deemed that social casinos’ products do constitute unregulated gambling, prompting regulatory action against certain operators or the sector as a whole.

In the meantime, many sweepstakes operators have expressed a desire to be regulated and pay taxes, as long as they can continue offering their products uninterrupted. Regulators and lawmakers across most states, however, have so far preferred to directly oppose the sector.

The only exception so far is New Jersey where there are both legislators seeking to end sweepstakes and those who propose regulating the sector.

In the meantime, Apple and Google face a lawsuit for allegedly aiding unlicensed sweepstakes casinos.