Grand Theft Auto V update adds a casino that can be played with real money
Real money can be spent on chips, though it cannot be cashed back out into actual money
Update July 25, 2019: Some players have reported indicate that in certain regions, currency purchased with real money cannot be used in the casino, however, this may not be true across all regions. GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Rockstar for clarification.
Original story:
Grand Theft Auto V's latest update, The Diamond Casino & Resort, adds the titular casino to its fictional Los Santos, but lets players use real money to play its games.
The BBC reports that the casino's chips can be purchased with in-game currency at a $1 to 1 chip ratio. GTA V's money can be either earned in-game, or purchased with real-world money at a rate of $500,000 in GTA currency for $10 USD. In addition, the casino only allows players to purchase $50,000(GTA) worth of chips per in-game day, or real-world hour.
No GTA money or chips can be cashed out for real-world currency, which is notable especially in light of the fact that earlier this week, British MPs declared that FIFA's in-game player packs and loot boxes were not gambling because there was no legitimate way to monetize their virtual contents after purchase.
Instead, that money can be used to purchase other in-game items, such as cars, weapons, or appearance-changing items.
However, not every country sees it that way, as a number of countries have blocked the gambling minigames in GTA V. This happened similarly in another Rockstar title recently, Red Dead Redemption 2. Unlike GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2 notably does not allow players to use real money to purchase its special gambling currency.