YouTube star David Dobrik is facing scrutiny after releasing his ‘Hundred Thousand Dollar Puzzle’ challenge, which some critics believe promotes gambling to his younger viewers.
On December 10, Dobrik released ‘The Hundred Thousand Dollar Puzzle,’ a competition that challenged his viewers to purchase a puzzle that they would solve into a QR code.
Once completed, fans may scan the code and find out how much they win; prizes range anywhere from 25 cents to the coveted $100,000 the puzzle is named after.
However, fans must first purchase the puzzle itself for $30, knowing that they potential payout might only be a quarter.
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For this reason, many critics are rallying against Dobrik, finding fault with his latest challenge and claiming that it lands too close to gambling — something that they feel might negatively affect younger members of his 18 million subscribers.
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“Legit, the dude is selling puzzles that double as gambling machines via QR codes,” one critic wrote via Twitter. “The cost to participate in his gamble/scam is $30 (the price for the puzzle which serves as a ticket, basically). He is selling this to kids.”
Who's talking about the David Dobrik gambling scam? Legit the dude is selling puzzles that double as gambling machines via QR codes. The cost to participate in his gamble/scam is $30 (the price for the puzzle which serves as a ticket, basically). He is selling this to kids.
— Memology 101 (@NewsM101) December 11, 2020
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“That’s f**king disgusting,” another said. “This is not puzzles, but lottery tickets. What sort of garbage person would use his platform to scam his young audience by luring them into a gambling scheme?”
That’s f-ing disgusting. This is not puzzles, but lottery tickets. What sort of garbage person would use his platform to scam his young audience by luring them into a gambling scheme?
— michaelmaage (@michaelmaage) December 11, 2020
Still others noticed a certain clause in the puzzle’s fine print, which states that contestants don’t even have to purchase the game in order to participate. For those unwilling to buy the $30 puzzle, they may simply mail a card with their first and last name, email address, and payment account username.
Dobrik is far from the first YouTuber to be accused of a gambling scam; stars Jake Paul and RiceGum became the center of controversy after promoting a website encouraging their viewers to purchase “mystery boxes” with the chance of winning luxury goods — or nothing at all.
It seems that Dobrik is now the one taking heat for his latest endeavor, claiming his fans kept asking him for money. While he may have found a way to do so, his methods are coming under question.
Dobrik has yet to respond to the outrage at the time of writing.
