VGW has faced a number of legal challenges in 2025, and as a result, the company will be phasing out of West Virginia.

VGW, or Virtual Gaming Worlds, is an online sweepstakes casino that has a wide range of popular offerings, such as Chumba Casino and Luckyland Slots. They are an Australia-based company that has faced a series of legal battles in the United States, and as a result, has ceded ground in 12 states and jurisdictions.

West Virginia is the latest state to be affected by the withdrawal of VGW sweepstakes casinos, and a spokesperson for the company stated that West Virginia players experienced a three-stage phaseout. In the first stage of the phaseout, the company banned the collection of free Sweeps Coin and also banned code generation. On November 18, the Sweeps Play function was no longer available to players. After this, on November 25th, all redemptions of cash prizes were halted. Another branch of VGW, known as Global Poker, is said to follow suit in the near future.

Luckily for those outside of West Virginia, there are still sweepstakes casino sites where players can engage in fun games and play with free coins. Players using these sites will be able to win large prizes, and they can choose to withdraw real money or reinvest their winnings. For those aiming to withdraw their winnings, payouts are speedy, discreet, and secure. No matter where you are in the US, it is possible to find an enjoyable sweepstakes casino that abides by state law.

There are twelve jurisdictions where VGW’s platforms have been outlawed. These include the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Washington, and now West Virginia.

Sweepstakes laws across states can be complicated. For VGW, a persistent issue has been that their offerings involve real money, which, according to West Virginia law, should not be permitted in sweepstakes betting. Another issue to consider is that all sweepstakes winnings are taxable by state law. This has been very hard to enforce, which has increased the US states’ hostility towards the sweepstakes giant VGW. VGW’s move out of these states has highlighted the increased enforcement of laws around gambling.

This has not only been the case for VGW in the United States. In Canada, VGW has also been forced to start the process of phasing out its operations. Chumba Casino and Global Poker users have not had access to their services, and all Sweeps Coins still held by Canadian users can no longer be redeemed since October 23. On top of this, Canadian users have not been able to purchase Gold Coin since August 28.

VGW has described its decision to exit from North America as strategic. Their aim is to realign business priorities and switch focus to growth in more sustainable world markets. The North American market has faced more regulatory scrutiny in recent years. Because of this, companies like VGW see more promise in global markets where laws are more lax.