Following days of confusion, PSA issued a statement Wednesday distancing itself from a PSA-branded vending machine placed in a Las Vegas casino.
First publicized by Casino Kings, a YouTube channel dedicated to gambling in Las Vegas, the vending machine allows customers to pay $50 for a random PSA-graded card. The machine features the PSA logo on the outside in addition to images of PSA-graded cards that are allegedly available to win.
The heavy use of branded imagery quickly led collectors to assume the vending machines were created and run by PSA.
“These vending machines are owned and operated by an external company who is a PSA dealer, submitting raw cards to PSA for authentication and grading, which are then being used for their repack business,” PSA wrote in a statement. “This machine, however, is not owned, operated or controlled by PSA in any capacity.
"Despite this, this third party’s test run of their machine has unfortunately created some confusion as to PSA’s involvement. We are working with the vendor in real-time to adapt the look and feel of these machines to feature less-prominent PSA branding and/or make it clearer that they own and operate these machines, not PSA.”
The third-party company that owns and operates the vending machine is Cannon Rock LLC, a PSA spokesperson confirmed to cllct.
"We are still working with this dealer,” PSA president Ryan Hoge told cllct of the company's relationship with Cannon Rock. “There was clearly a miss on the branding of this machine that wasn't inline with our brand guidelines for a partner company, so we are working with them to change it.”
PSA confirmed to cllct that the company has a limited collaboration with Cannon Rock to develop a similar machine for use at this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland. The original plan for the vending machine was for giveaways to customers who transacted with PSA through on-site grading, drop-off submissions and PSA Vault submissions.
A promotion mentioning the vending machine on PSA’s website was removed amid the confusion. “Unlock complementary graded cards, PSA merch, hobby packs, and so much more with PSA’s mystery box vending machine,” the advertisement read.
Hoge said PSA's relationship with Cannon Rock is merely for branding.
“We aren't investors in this company nor have any financial incentive beyond the dealer grading cards with us,” Hoge added. “We are lending branding to the project.”
According to Cannon Rock’s LinkedIn page, the company specializes in “automated retail solutions for the collectable industry.” Multiple requests for comment from Cannon Rock CEO Justin Rumpf weren’t immediately returned.
In addition to the uncertainty surrounding PSA’s involvement, collectors have spent recent days discussing whether or not the vending machine should be considered gambling. While some hobbyists have claimed it’s no different than paying to open a pack of cards, others have expressed concern over the fact the machine has no listed odds or checklist.
The lack of transparency was further pointed out by content creator Dan the Card Man, who first noticed the 1999 1st Edition Holographic Charizard PSA 10 advertised on the side of the machine had a deactivated certification number.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.