What do cars in Maryland have in common with an online casino in the Philippines called Casino Gcash FAFA855, which offers, amongst other things, betting on cockfighting events?
Well, it turns out, they’ve got a lot in common – there are roughly 800,000 cars with Maryland register plates that promote this Filipino gambling site, albeit unintentionally.
How Did a Filipino Online Casino End Up on Maryland Car Plates?
Maryland native Francis Scott Key wrote the US National Anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner” after observing the British Navy bombarding Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The bombardment happened during the War of 1812.
The War of 1812 has a special place in the hearts and minds of Marylanders, which is why it’s no surprise that the state wanted to commemorate it in 2012 by issuing special license plates.
I really feel like Maryland license plates losing the URL domain to a Filipino gambling site should be bigger news than it is lol pic.twitter.com/eCfsazXFf1
— Jaxon Pollock (@ThatDude_Pedro) June 1, 2023
Some 800,000 Maryland cards received plates with an inscription saying “War of 1812” on top and the URL “www.StarSpangled200.org” at the bottom. The URL led to a site explaining the history of the National Anthem.
The problem is that 10 years later, the domain owners decided to use it for a different purpose. Instead of discussing the state’s history, it now leads to a gambling site in the Philippines.
Casino Gcash Philippines – FAFA855 is where the URL is leading, which is a site that offers online casino gaming, but also cockfighting betting.
Shady Casino Promoting Cockfighting Betting
Gambling is legal in the Philippines but there are many shady casinos out there with no license, some of which might be promoting stuff like cockfighting. One such gambling site is the one that inadvertently ended up being promoted by almost 800,000 Maryland cars.
Truth be told, the site did not gain much exposure, nor did all this kerfuffle bring new customers its way. And we believe that’s a good thing. Our opinion is that casino afficionados should only gamble at legit sites that have zero tolerance for animal cruelty. The good news is that such online casinos are actually in the majority.
