New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy hasn’t yet signed a bill approved by the state legislature that outlaws online sweepstakes casinos in the state, meaning it hasn’t officially, fully passed yet.
But that isn’t stopping some sweeps casinos from getting a head start and shutting down in New Jersey anyway.
Sweepsy has learned of three sweeps sites — Clubs Casino, Clubs Poker, and LuckySlots.us — that have informed customers of their impending departure from New Jersey.
The New Jersey Senate and Assembly both passed Assembly Bill 5447, which bans sweeps casinos, on June 30. Murphy has not taken any action on it yet. In New Jersey, a governor has 45 days to sign or veto a bill. Or, if the governor takes no action within the 45 days, the bill also becomes law in what’s called a pocket approval.
What Clubs Casino, Clubs Poker, and LuckySlots.us are telling NJ customers
In an email sent to their New Jersey players this week, Clubs Casino and Clubs Poker — both owned by Philadelphia-based KHK Games, Inc. — wrote that their “social gaming platforms … will no longer be available starting July 6, 2025” in New Jersey.
Earlier, starting July 2, Clubs Casino and Clubs Poker will begin blocking “all new purchases and account registrations for users in New Jersey.” The email goes on to say that, if a player doesn’t believe they’ll be able to use all their Gold Coins by July 6, they can reach out to the sweeps casinos’ support team, and that all redemption requests must be submitted by July 6.
“After July 6, your account will be deactivated, any remaining coins will expire, and we will begin geo-blocking all sessions originating from New Jersey,” the email reads.
Meanwhile, also this week, LuckySlots.us emailed its New Jersey customers a similar message.
LuckySlots.us presented an even quicker shutdown timeline than the KHK Games platforms.
“We want to inform you that we are exiting the New Jersey market and will no longer be offering our services in the state,” the LuckySlots.us email reads. “As a result, your account will be closed within 2 days of this notice. If you currently have a balance, we kindly ask that you log in and request a redemption as soon as possible.”
LuckySlots.us is owned by Wyoming-based Sweet Innovation LLC. Sweet Innovation LLC also owns the Sweet Sweeps platform, a candy-based social and sweepstakes casino, whose site says it will launch this summer. Don’t expect Sweet Sweeps to go live in New Jersey, even if it launches before Murphy makes a final decision on A5447.
None of the sites’ terms and conditions have been updated yet to include New Jersey on their excluded territories lists, but that can be expected soon.
The current excluded territories lists for the three sweeps casinos is the same:
- Connecticut
- Idaho
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nevada
- New York
- Washington
- West Virginia
It is perhaps noteworthy that three of the sweeps operators quickest to leave New Jersey following passage of A5447 are owned by companies based in the United States.
What these sites’ early departures mean
It doesn’t take much to read between the lines here.
Despite the best lobbying efforts of the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance and the Social and Promotional Games Association, there must be a sentiment that’s grown enough among sweeps casinos that at least three properties feel fully confident jumping ship in New Jersey, even before the ban bill gets signed.
Still, the sweeps advocacy groups are trying.
“Governor Murphy has an opportunity to do what the Legislature would not — listen to facts, not fear,” a spokesperson for the SPGA said in a press release. “This bill doesn’t just mischaracterize an entire industry, it ignores data, undermines innovation, and puts New Jersey’s reputation as a forward-thinking leader in tech and entertainment at risk.”
The release goes on to say: “Even more concerning, this bill was driven by powerful casino lobbyists with a financial stake in eliminating lawful alternatives. That’s not consumer protection, that’s protectionism.”
Jeff Duncan, Executive Director of the SGLA, submitted written testimony opposing A5447 during its legislative process.
“These proposals seek to eliminate a popular form of digital entertainment enjoyed by millions of Americans and based on a model used legally for decades by trusted consumer brands,” Duncan wrote in that testimony. “This is not gambling — it’s marketing. Our partners operate free-to-play games with strong consumer protections and legally compliant promotional sweepstakes structures.”
Some sweeps casinos have been out of New Jersey for a while
A handful of online sweepstakes casinos won’t be impacted by the potential New Jersey ban.
These sites, including Stake.us, High 5 Casino, and B-Two Operations sites (including McLuck, Mega Bonanza, and Hello Millions), all pulled out of New Jersey quite some time ago — before A5447 was on the map.
For sites like Stake.us and High 5, this departure was part of a move to shut down operations in states that already had legal real-money iGaming, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia.
So, again, A5447 won’t affect their current bottom line.
