Virtual Gaming Worlds Will Remove Sweeps Coins Play from West Virginia

Virtual Gaming Worlds, the brand behind Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker, announced that it'll be closing down Sweeps Coins play in West Virginia. 

“Following careful consideration, we can confirm we’ve informed players in West Virginia of a decision to phase out Promotional Play (sweepstakes promotions) in the state across our brands,” a VGW spokesperson told Sweepsy. “However, our valued players in West Virginia will still be able to enjoy all their favorite free-to-play games using Gold Coins. We are 100 percent focused on ensuring players are fully informed about the changes and that this transition is as smooth as possible.

“But we understand this is an adjustment after several years of enjoying our industry-leading brands and some players may be disappointed. This decision wasn’t taken lightly and was made based on a range of factors.”

The Phase Out Plan

With this move being announced, here's the official timeline of how everything is going to unfold.

• Nov. 11: Starting on Nov. 11, players will no longer be able to earn Sweeps Coins, whether from login rewards, contests, or as part of Gold Coins packages. This also includes mail-in offers, too. 
• Nov. 18: Gameplay using Sweeps Coins will be turned off. Sweeps Coins can still be redeemed, though. 
• Nov. 25: Sweeps Coins will no longer be processed in West Virginia. 

Why is This Happening?

West Virginia is one of a few states where online real-money gambling is legal, and as a result, it's common for sweepstakes casinos to place the Mountaineer State on their excluded list. 

Additionally, this past February, West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey issued subpoenas to numerous sweepstakes casinos. 

“We have serious concerns about West Virginia consumers, specifically our children, being targeted by illegal gambling operations,” McCuskey said, per Casino Reports. “From day one, my priority has been to protect consumers and ensure our children are not being exposed to these operations or their advertising — while at the same time supporting those which are licensed and operating within the confines of the law. At this time, we cannot comment on specific cases or provide any further details.”

In all, McCuskey sent 47 subpoenas, and while it's unclear who exactly received them, given the volume, VGW likely got one. 

Gold Coin Play OK

Virtual Gaming Worlds has made a similar move before. We've seen them take Sweeps Coin offline in New York and New Jersey amid changes in regulation, and West Virginia is the same. 

All of these new bills and laws being passed don't target social casinos, which are platforms where you cannot redeem anything for real cash prizes. 

Gold Coins are known as the "for fun" currency, so sure, you could purchase them and play, but you can never redeem them for cash prizes. 

This is a model that Modo Casino will be deploying  in California ahead of AB 831 going into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. 

So, like VGW has done in New Jersey and New York, it'll remain online in West Virginia, but Sweeps Coins play will be no more.