Chumba Casino owner pulls products out of Michigan

Power down option on phone
Image: Shutterstock / Antlii

Effective Nov. 1, Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW) will stop selling currency for its portfolio of sweepstakes casinos. The group owns popular sites like Chumba Casino and Luckyland in addition to Global Poker.

The cessation of coin sales is the first step of a phased closure in the state. The company will cease offering play in December and stop accepting coins for redemption in February. From that point forward, Michigan residents will not be able to access the sites in the state.

VGW issued the following statement about the choice to exit the market:

“VGW continually evaluates their business operations in the interests of all their stakeholders and after careful consideration they have decided to take this course of action.”

Michigan now joins Idaho and Washington on the list of states where VGW does not offer its sweepstakes product.

Michigan has recently become a state where the status of sweepstakes products is being called into question.

Earlier this year, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel ordered the charitable sweepstake gaming site Golden Hearts Games to cease operations in the state.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board has also taken steps recently that limit the scope of online operators in the state. The group formally adopted a set of fantasy regulations that limit the types of contests offered in the state. Namely, the the new rules prohibit props-style fantasy like that offered by PrizePicks.

Accordingly, PrizePicks has also announced plans to cease operations in the state.