Since the outset of the state-by-state sweepstakes-banning trend, VGW, the parent company of Chumba, has been pulling out from various regions where sweepstakes have been pronounced illegal or where there’s heavy scrutiny from regulators.
Following the latest US sweepstakes compliance shifts, Chumba has now fully ended sweepstakes operations in California, Tennessee, and West Virginia. This means that players from these states will no longer be able to use Sweeps Coins (SC) at the site. Gold Coin (GC) play, however, is still legal. Keep reading as we explain more about these developments.
California and Tennessee are two of the latest states to ban sweepstakes in the US. The Golden State ban took effect from January 1, 2026, and sweepstakes became illegal in Tennessee on May 22, 2026, when Governor Bill Lee signed anti-sweeps legislation into law.
Chumba and its sister sites, LuckyLand Slots and Global Poker, have also been on the receiving end of cease-and-desist letters from regulators in various states. And in order to stay compliant, the brand has exited from where it’s under heavy scrutiny, including West Virginia. While sweepstakes casinos are not expressly banned in the Mountain State, the heavy crackdown prompted Chumba to phase out of the market in November 2025.
Chumba slowly stopped providing Sweeps Coins bonuses in these states, and a grace period was given for players to play through and fully redeem all eligible Sweeps Coins from their account before sweepstakes promotions were shut down completely.
If you’re a fan of this social casino and are living in any of these states, you can still access the site and play with Gold Coins. Bans or restrictions usually don’t outlaw social casinos, just their sweepstakes aspect. While many brands choose to shut down completely where sweepstakes are banned, Chumba has the habit of maintaining free-to-play operations, which is great news for anyone who plays for fun.
There’s nothing illegal about GC play in the eyes of the law. And that’s because you can only use this currency to play for entertainment, without any real prize opportunity, as opposed to Sweeps Coins. With Gold Coins, you can play all the games on the Chumba Casino site, receive GC bonuses, and make optional GC purchases. Your winnings can be redirected into playing more games.
Chumba is now restricted in a total of 14 US states. In 8 of these, you can still play for free with Gold Coins only. And California, Tennessee, and West Virginia are among those where this is the case. Chumba has gradually phased out Sweeps Coin play in these states, so you can no longer redeem Sweeps Coins for real money prizes. But if you’d still like to sign up and play for fun. Follow our links to get started at Chumba with Gold Coins only. Otherwise, you can opt for any of the top Chumba Casino alternatives.
Elsewhere in the US, you can play Chumba with GC and SC both for fun and a fair chance at winning prizes. But the landscape is still changing. A few states have passed bills that are yet to take effect, while others are still in the deliberation stage. So stay in touch with us here at Sweeptastic for all the latest news about US sweepstakes compliance shifts, legal and illegal states, and what you can play at the top sites.
