ESPN reportedly instructed several of its on-air personalities to sever ties with Papaya Gaming, a company facing accusations of false marketing. This directive followed the talent's promotion of the gaming app on social media, mirroring the actions of ESPN's prominent star, Stephen A. Smith. Smith, however, was exempt from this order, as Papaya Gaming is currently involved in a federal lawsuit alleging deceptive practices, including the use of bots to prevent human players from winning money.
The lawsuit, filed by mobile game platform Skillz Platform Inc., claims Papaya Gaming employed bots to masquerade as human players to ensure customers could not win money. Papaya Gaming has denied these allegations, filing a counterclaim that accuses Skillz of also using bots and suggests Skillz's lawsuit stems from financial difficulties. Several ESPN personalities, including Dan Orlovsky, Kendrick Perkins, Mina Kimes, and Laura Rutledge, were reportedly told to end their association with Papaya Gaming and subsequently deleted their promotional posts.
Stephen A. Smith, who has not yet cut ties with Papaya Gaming, hired to promote an app, appeared to acknowledge the controversy on his podcast, stating his team is reviewing the claims and that he does not support any company engaging in fraudulent or unfair gaming practices. This situation arises five months after Smith was observed playing the solitaire game on his phone during the NBA Finals. Former ESPN... download the app to read more
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