Chavdar Vasilev is a journalist covering the casino and sports betting market sectors for CasinoBeats. He joined CasinoBeats in May 2025 and reports on industry-shaping stories across the US and beyond, including legislative debates, market...
Read Full BioVGW’s sweepstakes casinos, Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots, will end Promotional Play with Sweeps Coins in West Virginia. The platforms sent customers messages alerting them of the upcoming change, which marks the latest state retreat for VGW.
The company’s third platform, Global Poker, will also likely follow suit, based on VGW’s previous state exits.
Phase Out Starts November 11
In the message the company sent to users, it says that it will use a phase-out approach, starting on November 11. On that day, users will no longer be able to collect free Sweeps Coins or generate postal request codes. Players will still be able to play with existing coins in their balance.
Starting November 18, Sweeps Play will no longer be available. Users will still be able to redeem eligible Sweeps Coins for cash prizes.
Starting November 25, VGW will stop processing Sweeps Coins redemptions.
The company closed the notice with a message: “We understand this change may be disappointing, and appreciate your understanding as we continue working to provide a great experience in Standard Play.”
That means West Virginia users can still access the platforms and play for entertainment purposes only using Gold Coins.
Twelfth State Exit for VGW
The West Virginia announcement marks the latest market exit for VGW. The last retreat from a state was in Mississippi at the end of July. Just days prior, the operator left New Jersey, pending a legislative ban on dual-currency sweepstakes casinos.
With the Mountain State, VGW’s platforms are now unavailable in 12 US jurisdictions:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Washington
- West Virginia (starting Nov.11)
Notably, except for Idaho, Michigan, and Washington, the other exits have occurred within the past year. Connecticut was first in November 2024, followed by Delaware in the spring of 2025, both after regulatory crackdowns.
VGW left several states in succession within a couple of months following legislative prohibitions and enforcement efforts by state gaming regulators and Attorneys General.
In the next two months, the company will face an exit from the largest market, California, after the state passed a ban that takes effect on January 1, 2026.
Another state that could force VGW to leave is Minnesota. Just days before the West Virginia announcement, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison warned LuckyLand Slots to stop operating.
He gave the platform until December 1 to confirm in writing that it has ceased operations in the state. However, based on VGW’s historical actions, it’s unknown whether it will comply.
Over 40 Platforms Have Exited West Virginia
VGW’s exit from West Virginia comes amid a broad retreat by operators from the state. In July, West Virginia’s Attorney General, John McCuskey, announced that he had sent 47 subpoenas to sweepstakes casinos. That resulted in over 20 exiting at the time.
While many like VGW decided to continue operating, more have followed suit. Once Chumba and LuckyLand Slots enforce the restriction, there will be over 40 platforms that exclude players from the state.
CasinoBeats has confirmed that the following platforms list West Virginia as a restricted territory:
- Ace
- Baba Casino
- Carnival Citi
- Chance and sister site Punt
- Chumba and LuckyLand Slots
- Clubs Casino
- Fliff and sister site Sidepot
- Funrize and sister sites NolimitCoins, FunzCity, Fortune Wheelz, Storm Rush, and Tao Fortune
- High 5
- Jefebet
- Jumbo 88
- Legendz
- Lucky Slots
- Lucky Stake
- Lucky Stars
- McLuck Casino and sister sites Hello Millions, Mega Bonanza, Jackpota, PlayFame, and Spinblitz
- Modo
- Play Fame
- Pulsz Casino and Pulsz Bingo
- Ruby Sweeps
- Rolling Riches
- Scarlet Sands
- Sixty 6
- Spree
- Stake
- Sweep Jungle
- SweepsUSA
With VGW’s exit, notable holdouts include WOW Vegas and BlazeSoft’s Zula Casino and Fortune Coins.
