As it turns out, Horseshoe Casino Baltimore isn’t inviting patrons to potentially tumble down a plastic pyramid as part of the Milk Crate Challenge.
One of the largest online casinos in Maryland isn’t jumping on the latest viral trend and handing out casino credits as a reward.
Not formally anyway.
But for one afternoon, at least a few potential Milk Crate Challenge spectators wondered if it was real. Even a poorly Photoshopped tweet didn’t make it explicitly clear that it was all a joke.
A quick intro to the Milk Crate Challenge
Look, the internet is full of stupid people doing really stupid things for the enjoyment of other stupid folks.
But damn if it isn’t really entertaining sometimes.
Granted, that entertainment comes at a cost. The viewer bears much of it. But the actual Milk Crate Challenge participants? They’re the ones dealing with blood, bruises, and the occasional broken bones.
For the uninitiated, “milk craters” simply to try to scale the makeshift plastic peak. As we’ve learned through hours of hilarious viral videos, it’s much more difficult than you might first think.
If you’ve ever enjoyed “Jackass,” you’ll probably giggle through the Milk Crate Challenge:
Sadly but understandably, these video clips have garnered a wildly enthusiastic audience. The latest cultural phenomenon is likely to fizzle out once sanity again prevails.
But for now? Everyone’s been jumping on (and falling off) the bandwagon.
#MilkCrateChallenge at Horseshoe Casino Baltimore?
Look, no one wants to be the buzzkill. The fly in the ointment. The ace when you doubled-down on 11.
Or, more precisely, the dumbass who doesn’t get the joke.
And on Monday afternoon, while checking out the latest DMV gambling headlines, I ran across this tweet that forced at least a few moments of confused uncertainty:
Sure, to the casual viewer, this probably screamed “humor” or “satire.” I mean, never has the argument that “This looks shopped” seemed so fitting.
Still, even with the mysteriously glowing milk crates sitting on the casino floor, was Horseshoe Casino Baltimore serious about doing a Milk Crate Challenge? After all, with a plug for Caesars Rewards Credits and even a responsible gaming message, this tweet otherwise seemed very on-brand for an official casino account.
I decided to call to find out.
Getting Milk Crate Challenge confirmation
To be perfectly honest, I pretty much knew I was wasting everyone’s time. Of course, this whole thing was a joke. Of course, they weren’t serious about having patrons falling arse over elbows on the casino floor. And, of course, this type of thing would be a legal nightmare of epic proportions.
Of course.
You’d have to be stupid to think otherwise.
Unless…
“No, sir,” said a Horseshoe Casino Baltimore telephone operator who probably fields one stupid call after another while on the clock. “I checked with security, and they’ve heard nothing about this milk crate thing.”
“Look, I’m not trying to be difficult, and I know this call is probably really weird, but is that an official comment?” I asked her. “Is there a media relations or marketing department I could talk to? I’m doing a story for a website that covers gambling in Maryland, and I’m just trying to confirm. Officially, ya know?”
“Hang on,” she replied, her previous curiosity now sounding more like mild annoyance.
As I waited a few minutes for her return, I began to feel guilty about the wild goose chase I probably created.
“Sir?” she said with her eventual return to the phone. “Any future updates will be posted on Twitter.”
Wut.
Sanity prevails in Baltimore
For a fleeting moment, I imagined traveling to Baltimore to cover the Milk Crate Challenge. I could provide blow-by-blow coverage of the worst casino marketing stunt since an online casino purchased a billboard on a woman’s forehead.
Thankfully, it turns out, sanity prevailed.
After four hours and a few confused twitter repliers, Horseshoe Baltimore’s social media department dumped some cold water on the whole thing.
*Not an actual on-property promotion
— Horseshoe Casino Baltimore (@HorseshoeBmore) August 23, 2021
And that settled it, right? The Milk Crate Challenge isn’t happening at Horseshoe Casino Baltimore.
I learned that yes, a tweet that sounds too outrageous to be true is probably just that. And the casino’s marketing folks? They learned that some folks like me will always take things too literally, so maybe it’s best not to piggyback off every stupid trend.
Of course, part of me can’t help but dwell on that “on-property” part of the tweet. I mean, maybe they’ll do a Milk Crate Challenge off-site. Maybe casino patrons will head out to the parking lot to surf milk crates.
Then again, at this point, even I’m not stupid enough to bother the casino operator to confirm.
