Secret Facebook groups are allowing Alaskans to gamble illegally by live-streaming pull-tab reveals. (Image: Casino.org) Proxy betting is big in Asia. It’s popularity in America’s frozen northwestern extremity appears to be a more recent phenomenon, and one which has been driven by the coronavirus pandemic. In the casinos of the Philippines, for example, proxy betting involves a customer, often based in China, providing betting instructions remotely to an agent (proxy) based on the casino floor or in a VIP lounge who physically places the wager. In Alaska, where, like China, opportunities to gamble are scarce, it appears to involve hosts of Facebook groups collecting players’ money through payment apps and then opening pull tabs on their behalf. The process is streamed via Facebook Live.