VGW Holdings came to a settlement with New York Attorney General Letitia James over its sweepstakes casino operations in the Empire State. The settlement included an $8 million fine for operating in the New York niche, which Letitia James deemed illegal.
VGW Holding operates Chumba Casino and Global Poker, which together make up the country’s largest online sweepstakes business. Its annual revenues exceeded $5 billion in 2025.
The New York Office of the Attorney General (OAG) sent a cease-and-desist letter to VGW Holding in June 2025. At that time, Letitia James announced an investigation into their dual-currency sweepstakes sites as potential violators of the state’s gambling laws.
On June 2, 2025, Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker stopped selling Sweeps Coins in New York State. On June 11, 2025, the New York Senate passed Senate Bill 5935, designed to make dual-currency sweepstakes casinos illegal under state law.
On June 17, 2025, the General Assembly also passed Bill S59435a. The legislature delivered the bill to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk on December 1, and she signed it into law on December 5, 2025. The bill came into effect that same day.
In the year-plus since the New York AG originally sent the cease-and-desist letter to VGW, the two sides have negotiated penalties for the years before the company exited New York.
Last week’s settlement, announced in an 11-page document, therefore ends VGW’s story as a sweepstakes operator in the state.
VGW Holdings continues to wind down operations on one of its second-most famous properties. September 14, 2026, is the last day of operations for LuckyLand Slots, which announced it would wind down activity in early August.
Since then, players have been urged to redeem their Sweeps Coins. In lieu of LuckyLand Slots, VGW launched two sites designed to either migrate customers from LuckyLand Slots or transition to a social casino business model.
LuckyLand Casino is a newer platform with amended terms and conditions designed to avoid the class-action lawsuits that have plagued VGW Holdings over the past couple of years. It is the natural successor to LuckyLand Slots.
Just Slots is another successor, though it is designed to work in all 50 states. Just Slots is a social casino that has only one type of virtual coin. Players can purchase new virtual coins when they run out, but they are for entertainment only and can never be redeemed for real money.
The New York case is not the only lawsuit VGW Holdings faces. On June 17, 2026, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a lawsuit against VGW Holdings in the Franklin Circuit Court.
It was part of a three-pronged lawsuit against unlicensed digital wagering, including two cases against prediction markets. Citing its Loss Recovery Act and broader Consumer Protection laws, it seeks damages against VGW Holdings, stating its dual-currency model constitutes illegal gambling.
On August 19, 2026, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a similar lawsuit in a Tampa state court against the company.
Uthmeier also charges that the operator is running an “illegal online gambling enterprise” in the Florida sweepstakes casino industry. He demands that the company exit the state, forfeit all profits it has made in the Sunshine State over the years, and recoup losses for Florida players.
