Playtech Games Are Now Blocked at Chumba Casino in California

In California, sweepstakes casinos are under fire between AB 831 advancing to the Senate and the Los Angeles City attorney filing a lawsuit against Sweepsteaks Ltd. (the operator of Stake.us) and other game developers. 

Now, Chumba Casino has sent an email to its players in California, informing them that some games will be removed. 

It turns out that the titles belong to Playtech. 

Additionally, Sweepsy tried out a Playtech-branded Live Blackjack game, and that was also blocked. 

Playtech Out Despite Not Being Named In Stake.us Lawsuit

The Stake.us lawsuit, filed by the Los Angeles City attorney, not only named Sweepsteaks Ltd. but also listed numerous game operators, including Big Time Gaming, Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming, and Evolution. 

While Playtech wasn't named in the lawsuit, they're still leaving Chumba Casino. 

It's unclear if they pulled out voluntarily or not. 

However, Pragmatic Player has left the United States in its entirety, and Evolution pulled out of Stake.us in California. 

City of Los Angeles Lawsuit Worth Monitoring

To date, the only lawsuits we've seen brought against sweepstakes casinos have been from players. 

However, due to the terms of use, which typically have a clause stating that any legal action against them would be referred to arbitration, that's where those suits tend to add up. 

In fact, we saw that earlier this year in a case against Stake.us. 

However, this lawsuit is from the Los Angeles City attorney, not just a player. 

These lawsuits can result in something even more serious, including financial considerations or, up to and including, criminal charges. 

We'll see if this ends in a domino effect of game providers pulling out. 

AB 831 is headed for the Senate, where it needs 21 of 40 votes. The current legislative session ends on Sept. 12. 

If nothing is resolved by then, it'll be moved to January 2026 as California has a two-year legislative cycle, but that appears headed in a direction where sweepstakes casinos could be illegal soon. 

Time will tell.