High 5 Casino Delays Shut Down in California

Following California Governor Gavin Newsom's signing of the anti-sweepstakes casino legislation AB 831 into law, the notable sweepstakes casino High 5 has adjusted its exit plans from the state. 

Initially, High 5 was going to leave on Sept. 15, but that has since been changed to Oct. 20.

More About the New Plans

With these new plans, here is the completely new timeline for High 5, which actually began on Oct. 13:

• Oct. 13: No new players can create accounts, and existing players cannot make purchases. 
• Oct.13-19: Games are still able to be played using Gold and Sweeps Coins. Players can also make Sweeps Coins redemptions. 
• Oct. 20: High 5 will shut down completely in California. 

This was the original plan:

• Sept. 2: Terms of use were updated.
• Sept. 3: No new accounts could be made, and all purchases would be halted. 
• Sept. 15: High 5 to shut down in California. 

Of course, we now have a new timeline.

One of the First To Exit the State

With AB 831 now law and set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, it shouldn’t be a surprise, but sweepstakes casinos are starting to leave the state. 

High 5 is the fourth one to do so, following Carnival Citi, Ruby Sweeps, and Dara Casino. 

As for the others, well, they may push it right to the edge and wait to close down until Dec. 31. We saw that happen in New Jersey, where these brands waited until the last possible moment to close their virtual doors. 

We’ve also seen some platforms like Baba Casino reopen in other states to seemingly help offset the loss of revenue from the law passing in California. 

Not only that, but other platforms like A1 Development LLC have relaxed their minimum age requirements from 21 to 18 to perhaps help make up for that lost revenue.

High 5 California Lawsuit

Right now, High 5 is embroiled in a lawsuit with California resident Thomas Portugal. 

High 5 did file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, but that was denied. They then filed a motion for arbitration, which was also rejected. 

Their initial exit seemed to come after that ruling, but either way, with AB 831 now on the horizon, it’s time to close up shop.