Gambling YouTuber and social media influencer Matt “Vegas Matt” Morrow has threatened a defamation lawsuit towards an anti-gambling social media persona.
The risk stems from a YouTube video from restoration advocate Rob Minnick. In it, he refers to Morrow for instance of somebody who normalizes drawback playing conduct. Minnick manufacturers his social media presence as “ODAAT,” which stands for “one day at a time.” He discusses what he sees because the darkish facet of playing.
Minnick stated he acquired a 17-page letter from Morrow’s legal professional threatening the go well with and demanding an apology. In a sequence of Instagram movies, the recovering playing addict stated he was simply investigating the high-stakes gambler’s enterprise practices.
“I’m being asked to apologize for investigating a gambling influencer’s marketing,” he stated in a single video. “Asked to apologize for explaining that the influencer and the viewer have totally different monetary incentives, requested to apologize for not treating high-stakes playing content material as innocent leisure merely as a result of criticizing it makes a robust model uncomfortable.
“Listen Matt … after carefully reading your 17-page demand letter, telling a gambling addict to stop questioning your content that’s creating more gambling addicts everyday, I would like to formally apologize to you for absolutely nothing.”
Legal Battle In The Works?
In an Instagram video, Minnick stated he has retained an attorney and began a GoFundMe to battle a authorized battle.
Minnick stated he’ll donate the funds to charity if he doesn’t want them. But provided that Morrow options an addict in restoration on his channel. Minnick stated playing addicts have one of many highest suicide charges within the nation.
The authentic video argued that content material like Morrow’s made irresponsible playing appear regular. It highlighted a six-figure on line casino loss in a single day.
“If most people lost $147,000, it would be one of the worst days of their lives,” Minnick stated within the video. “Vegas Matt loses $147,000 and calls it ‘a hell of a YouTube video.’”
Minnick goes on to allege that Morrow is promoting a misinform viewers by glamorizing giant wins and losses. He additional claims Morrow’s content material is irresponsible. He says the social media influencer has develop into “one of the gambling industry’s most valuable salesmen.”
Concerns About References To Criminal Behavior
Morrow’s channel has greater than 1.6 million subscribers and options the gambler wagering 1000’s of {dollars} at a time. The letter threatening a lawsuit claims Minnick engaged in defamation, false mild, and potential interference with enterprise relationships.
It stated utilizing phrases like “fraud,” “scam,” and “fake gambler” may very well be interpreted by the general public as prison conduct. Morrow contends he hasn’t dedicated any crime. His legal professional argued that these references may injury the gambler’s repute.
The letter demanded an apology in addition to a number of edits and corrections by Aug. 28 to keep away from authorized motion. Minnick has vowed to not change the video nor situation an apology. He did make clear just a few issues, nonetheless, in one other video on Aug. 27.
“I do not have evidence that Vegas Matt manipulates slot machines, changes gambling outcomes, operates an illegal casino, falsifies the results … or participates in a criminal conspiracy,” he stated within the video. “I don’t dispute the fact that Vegas Matt publicly identifies himself as a gambling content creator … and has publicly disclosed commercial relationships.”
Minnick additional defended his use of phrases like “scam” as a part of his criticism of the gaming business and perceived deception because it pertains to accountable playing. He additionally produced the same video about one other playing YouTuber named “Lady Luck HQ,” who has greater than 1.2 million subscribers.
Morrow Recently Said The Venetian Banned Him
For his half, Morrow admits that he loses cash making movies, however YouTube monetization, merchandise gross sales, and on line casino partnerships make the enterprise worthwhile general.
This has been the second time over the past week that Morrow has made headlines. He just lately stated he was banned by the Venetian in Las Vegas after profitable a $400,000 slot jackpot.
In different slot machine information, a participant from Atlanta received a $10.3 million jackpot at Las Vegas’s Westgate Casino in June.
