” There are no restrictions on the cash side other than gambling and a few things.”
You should have stopped at “there are no restrictions” because there aren’t any. Even food stamp side of the card can be converted to cash without breaking any law
In addition, the Agriculture Department (USDA) has cut “trafficking” — the sale of SNAP benefits for cash, which violates federal law — by three-quarters over the past 15 years. Only 1 percent of SNAP benefits is trafficked. USDA has also permanently disqualified thousands of retail stores from the program for not following federal requirements. When cases of SNAP fraud are reported in the news, it is because the offenders have been caught, evidence that states and USDA are aggressively combating fraud.