Region Restriction on Gambling

The new Casino update is out and I was very excited about it.

I launched and headed straight for the new building, and wanted to buy myself some chips for the games.

“Your account does not have permission to complete this transaction” after I tried to pay for my chips.

I tried buying the High Roller penthouse but it was locked for no apparent reason.

After contacting support I received a quick reply that because of my region I cannot enjoy the gambling related content in the new DLC.

My VPN isn’t good enough for gaming so I’m left to stare at everyone playing the new content and enjoying this update which I was personally hyped towards.

What can I do about this? It sucks to be left out for this god damn reason.

Edit1: I got quoted on PCgamer! https://www.pcgamer.com/grand-theft-auto-onlines-new-casino-update-in-inaccessible-to-more-than-50-countries/?ns_campaign=article-feed&ns_mchannel=ref&ns_source=steam&ns_linkname=0&ns_fee=0

Edit2: I got quoted in YongYea’s youtube video! It’s really awesome to have my cry frustration heard this far, even reaching a youtuber I follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ_I1D_w1zw

I can’t play the new DLC either in my country so I use the 70 day trial of avast secureline VPN and it works perfectly so consider it an option

https://www.pcgamer.com/grand-theft-auto-onlines-new-casino-update-in-inaccessible-to-more-than-50-countries/?ns_campaign=article-feed&ns_mchannel=ref&ns_source=steam&ns_linkname=0&ns_fee=0

Can you still get the bonus 1000 chips they give out at the cashier inside the casino? Or are you not able to actually get into the casino?

Wait, so this adds real money gambling to the game? Doesn’t this change the age rating of GTA Online to Adults Only per the ESRB?

"ADULTS ONLY

Content suitable only for adults ages 18 and up. May include prolonged scenes of intense violence, graphic sexual content and/or gambling with real currency."

Per the ratings guide part of the ESRB website.

You’re prevented from being predated on by scummy monetization practices and… you’re upset about that? Jesus, no wonder these publishing and developing companies are getting away with this crap. Sheep like this guy throw their wallet (or their parent’s wallet) at it anyway. You’re what’s wrong with gaming today.

GOOD.

Gambling is a waste of money, even though traditional IRL casinos are forced to have a monetary return (‘win’) rate in the 90% range due to competition; virtual casinos, whether it’s blatant shit like this or disguised in loot boxes, don’t face that competition and thus can have much lower ‘win’ rates.

I want this to spread globally, this complete ban on gambling, especially when you can use real money to buy fake money to use on gambling systems.

Thanks, definitely going to try it out.

Never expected to appear in an article like this for the first time but hell yeah this is going to get some attention to this issue

Thanks. Sucks to be me.

Purely chips are restricted for me

The UK Government’s gambling commission recently said that it doesn’t legally count as gambling because there is no official way to make real money back after you’ve spent it, and I’m gonna assume its the same deal in the ESRB’s eyes considering that they’re on the side of the publishers.

Jesus christ you just went all in without even asking me anything

I never bought shark cards. I enjoy the game for it’s gameplay and got plenty of friends with which I grind it with.

I have a lot of ingame money from playing, so when I heard there’s new content and things to do with your money that is more than buying cars and weapons, I was excited.

I’m upset that I can’t access new content because of my region, not because I can’t “throw my wallet” at the game.

I’ll never play a game that requires me to use money to progress, a game is meant to be bought once and played. Maybe pay for DLCs. Nothing more.

I hope that changed your view of me, since you already seem to have a strong resentment despite never trying to open a conversation about the subject.

Yeah I can’t understand that people really are against these restrictions. Lootboxes, Microtransactions, etc are what is wrong with gaming today.

“I cannot enjoy the gambling related content in the new DLC” sounds like what a paid Rockstar shill would say.

In a world where things like Fifa Ultimate Team or even the whole of GTA Online were not allowed to exist, we might finally get some real games again. Real games that are not designed to suck your wallet dry.

Throw yourself out of the window than

Honestly, as an outsider I was thinking something similar as the guy you’re replying to. “Imagine being upset that you can’t be exploited for money by a literal casino” was my immediate thought. I wasn’t gonna say anything because I’m an outsider and don’t play GTA, but I wanted to see if somebody else had. This perspective of yours actually does make sense though. Which worries me a bit.

It worries me because it’s not unlike when some game disabled loot box purchases for one of their games and players got frustrated and wanted the option to pay for them back instead of the better solution of making the game not frustratingly grindy (I think it was a Valve game? Unsure. Might’ve just been on Steam), or even worse when NBA2K disabled loot box purchases in certain countries and urged the players to contact their local government officials in favor of loot boxes.

When you say you wanted to pay for chips but can’t, are you referring to paying with real money or with your in-game money? If you’re saying the former, then it contradicts your point in this comment made about how you feel you should only spend money on a game once, but if it’s the latter like I’m assuming it is then you’re only saying you want access to the content then that’s fine and a reasonable position. But if it’s the latter I feel like your original post gives off that feeling of the former, and some people may get mixed up about it and actually want the option to pay back in which I can’t agree with.

I wish was paid, but I’m not a “shill” of Rockstar. I just wanted to enjoy some new content. Never paid for any shark cards, just wanted something new in this game I’ve been playing for a long while.

Shark Card money is flagged; you can’t buy chips with it

Definitely latter, as I’ve stated before: I never bought anything in-game with real money besides the game ITSELF.

I just want to get the content I was hyped for. It sucks to watch from the side for no good reason.

if you wanna gamble that badly just hit up literally any virtual casino or start irl betting, because there you get to at least make a profit