Lottery fans are set for an interesting year as PlayLottoGlobal prepares to open online operations in Mexico and Brazil. Positioning itself as a leading worldwide lottery company, PlayLottoGlobal is taking in both Mexico and Brazil as the first markets in its strategy. This is not surprising, seeing as both Mexico and Brazil have large populations and a growing interest in online gaming.
But who is this new company and will it be a real contender in the online gaming space in Mexico and Brazil? We investigate further to see what the future might hold come March.
Who Heads PLG?
Todd Poindexter is the founder and CEO of PlayLottoGlobal. According to his LinkedIn, Poindexter is an expert networker with a strong history in the finance industry. It goes on to say that Todd has spent much of the past 20 years working with clients in Dubai and Europe, building connections to the thriving elite ex-pat community. Todd has also spent much of his time living in Monaco, which is well-known for being a global hub of the gaming community.
What’s Known about PlayLottoGlobal?
There was a press release distributed on February 8th, 2023, by PlayLottoGlobal, announcing their intentions to launch in the Brazilian and Mexican markets, “as one of the largest online gaming platforms.” The press release goes on to say that it will have a wide variety of games and launch in 180 countries by the end of Q1 2023.
This is despite the little to no web presence of PlayLottoGlobal, a website that leads only to a Register button, and a more beefed-out affiliate website. Both websites appear with a distinctly un-modern interface, which begs the question: who built it?
While the PR has gone global, with mentions on Gambling Insider, Caribbean News Digital, Games Magazine Brazil, and even regional Yahoo! Finance, the information on the ground is very slim.
While the press release mentions being licensed through Curacao Gaming Commission, this is most commonly known as Curacao eGaming. To attain a license from Curacao requires filling out paperwork related to the business entity and technical standards of operation along with a fee of several thousand Euros. The license must be kept up to date yearly.
PlayLottoGlobal, or at least the website, is not licensed through Curacao eGaming (via their authenticity check), or even with a Curacao Antillephone N.V. (8048/JAZ) gambling license (via their authenticity check).
PlayLottoGlobal’s website itself was registered in November 2020, according to ICANN Lookup, the domain name registration service. Registration points to Domains By Proxy, with GoDaddy. The PLG Affiliate website is from Wix and was created in March 2022. The Cinco Foundation, shown on PlayLottoGlobal’s website as a humanitarian partner, was created in October 2020, and also points to Domains by Proxy with GoDaddy. Do note that this is not to say that they were created and registered by the same entity, simply that they were registered via the same process, which is a popular way to register websites worldwide.
So, is PLG legitimate?
It is almost impossible to know whether PlayLottoGlobal will be a legitimately operating gaming site for players. Since we cannot verify their license from Curacao eGaming, it would be suggested that players proceed with a lot of caution. This is not to say that they are not in the process of legitimizing operations or that they have licensed with a different Curacao gaming authority and that mentioning the Curacao Gambling Commission in a press release was an error.
There are certainly other websites where players will be delighted to discover a huge selection of game categories, including no deposit slots, live dealer games, and even scratch games.
It is important to evaluate online gaming websites carefully to avoid any mishaps during play. Players need to approach providers with an analytical mind to assess whether the services they provide will live up to their expectations.
While we welcome new industries and enjoyable pastimes in the country, we also want to take a careful view of what is on offer to people online, especially if there is a gambling element involved. With fair gambling systems that have been approved by specific licensing bodies, you can be relatively sure that businesses will operate as expected. Checking the rules and operations surrounding a license, as well as the validity of the license itself, be it in Curacao or Malta, or the UK is a good first step to give players some assurances of fair play.
PLG may very well be the platform that many players have been waiting for, both in Mexico and in Brazil. We will just have to wait and see what happens when March comes around and what the company has in store.
