The World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas may be the center of the poker world every summer but it is a promotion by one of its major competitors that is drawing attention.
The results of the 2025 WSOP Millionaire Maker tournament are under investigation by the WSOP after public outcry that players allegedly colluded to help win a prize offered by the World Poker Tour’s sweepstakes poker product, ClubWPT Gold.
ClubWPT Gold offered bonuses to certain WSOP winners
The sweepstakes poker site created the Gold Rush promotion in connection with the WSOP but as a contest that was not sanctioned by the WSOP. ClubWPT Gold players could win Gold Rush tickets via freeroll poker tournaments on the sweeps platform.
If a Gold Rush ticket holder won one of nearly a dozen predetermined WSOP gold bracelet events, ClubWPT Gold would pay them a $1 million bonus. Earlier this summer, Michael Lavin of New Jersey won a shootout bracelet to claim the million-dollar prize.
On Wednesday, poker pro Jesse Yaginuma defeated fellow pro James Carroll heads-up to win the WSOP Millionaire Maker event. As a Gold Rush ticket holder, Yaginuma picked up the seven-figure bonus from the sweeps site in addition to a $1.2 million prize for winning the event.
During the livestream of play between the final two, many viewers took to social media to question Carroll’s play. In certain hands, he would reraise with marginal holdings only to fold when Yaginuma raised back. In another hand, Carroll lost a substantial amount of chips on a failed bluff.
Yaginuma rallied from a significant chip deficit to win the bracelet and collect the bonus. Carroll finished second for just over $1 million.
WSOP investigating final table play
However, in a post on X Thursday, the WSOP indicated that neither of the players have been paid yet and there will be an investigation into their play.
Collusion is expressly against the WSOP rules. Many argued that Carroll was “chip dumping” to Yaginuma, losing hands on purpose to ensure his opponent won and collected the extra money.
While deal making is common at poker final tables, WSOP has always maintained a stance that the organization will not facilitate deals and all events must play down to a champion. There are anecdotal stories of WSOP final table participants making deals on the side, but none are done in public and none involve the tournament host.
ClubWPT Gold has not commented publicly on whether or not the company plans to honor Yaginuma’s prize.
The Nevada legislature has passed a bill to more overtly prohibit unregulated gambling sites, including sweepstakes, earlier this year. Gov. Joe Lombardo signed the bill and the prohibition takes effect on Oct. 1.
While the law has technically not been put into effect yet, the biggest sweeps poker site, Global Poker, pulled out of Nevada in April.
The VGW-owned site is unavailable in a growing list of states that includes Connecticut, Delaware and New York, another state that has passed an anti-sweepstakes bill awaiting a signature.
ClubWPT Gold remains in Connecticut
ClubWPT Gold is available in every state save for Michigan, Washington, Idaho and Montana, a state that formally prohibited sweepstakes games earlier this year. It has not made any formal announcement about leaving Connecticut, where a sweepstakes ban signed into law this year is set to take effect on Oct. 1, or New York, where the Attorney General Letitia Jones recently took action against several other sweepstakes operators.
ClubWPT Gold is a relatively new entrant into the sweepstakes marketplace, only going live at the start of 2025.
