If you are a GTA fan, you are probably blissfully unaware of the big blow that is coming your way surrounding the latest and most-hyped update – The Diamond Casino & Resort. You might want to sit down for this news – players from over fifty countries do not have access to the update, owing to the restrictions placed by the gambling laws of those countries. Their hearts sank when the game threw this message on their screens – “Your account does not have permission to complete this transaction”. Though a few gamers have managed to find alternative ways to gamble at the casino, they will have to hope that Rockstar Games doesn’t learn about this and remove them.
Anti-gambling laws – The enemy at the gates
The update needs players to spend real currency to buy in-game chips to be able to play an array of table games, bet on horses, hit the slot machines, etc., It looks like the game seems too close to real-life gambling which is not going well with several countries’ stringent gambling laws.
Players quickly took to discussion websites and social media to express their frustration about the inaccessibility of the new update. One player took to Reddit to voice out their anger. The player wrote that they were not able to purchase the in-game chips as the transaction did not go through. They also added that they were not able to purchase the High Roller Penthouse. Players from other countries were able to enter the casino and mingle with virtual players but the update did not allow them to gamble.
Gamers swiftly came together to make a list of the fifty countries and the laws that prevented the update from functioning. Few were also quick to point out the irony that surrounded the situation. They wondered why the game did not lock features like the loot box/prize crate, as it is essentially similar to gambling.
The loot box irony
While a few were lost in the irony, a few came up with shortcuts to get the update running. They claimed that VPN (Virtual Private Network) could come to their aid in such a situation.
In the meantime, we hope Rockstar Games doesn’t sniff this alternative route and ban the players for employing it.