VGW, the sweepstakes gaming behemoth behind Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, Global Poker, recently launched LuckyLand Casino, and yet-to-launch United Slots, is in the midst of expanding its portfolio beyond the sweeps and social casino industry.
The company is currently unrolling a phased launch in the United States of Monopoly Match, VGW’s first foray into the Match 3 category of games. VGW quietly debuted Monopoly Match in the US in November 2025, and has scaled the launch since.
“We are incredibly excited to not only expand into a new game genre, but also collaborate with such a beloved brand to create a fun and engaging experience for players,” said Mats Johnson, VGW’s Acting CEO, in a release this spring. “This venture opens up a new world of entertainment, combining a timeless classic many of us know and love in Monopoly, with a modern twist in the form of Match 3.
“We’ve been working closely with Hasbro to deliver a product that new audiences will love, while also resonating with our existing players too.”
VGW generates revenue via in-app purchases in Monopoly Match
In Monopoly Match, players move through a series of levels by rolling dice, completing puzzle challenges, and acquiring properties. The game draws heavily from the classic Monopoly brand, incorporating many of its most recognizable icons and gameplay themes.
Unlike VGW’s sweeps casino platforms, which are 21-plus, Monopoly Match is 18-plus and can be downloaded in the App Store and Google Play Store. Also unlike VGW’s sweeps casino platforms, Monopoly Match does not use Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins. Some limited-time promotional events may offer players a chance to win gift cards, but these are separate promotions rather than rewards from the core puzzle gameplay.
So how does VGW make money?
While Monopoly Match is free to play, players have the option to make in-app purchases to accelerate their progress or gain gameplay advantages. (These purchases do not involve cash prizes or gambling credits.)
The game’s primary premium currency is MONOPOLY Money, which can be used to buy extra moves when players are close to completing a puzzle level, plus other items that help the player make progress in the game. Players can also buy a variety of boosters and power-ups — including Rockets, Bombs, and Light Balls — that make it easier to complete more challenging levels. While players can buy these boosters, many can also be earned through gameplay.
In a nutshell, VGW makes money from Monopoly Match in the same way any free app that advertises “in-app purchases” makes money: If people want to progress faster in the game, they have the option to make purchases to help them do that.
“Match 3 games are among the most popular in mobile gaming and we are excited to bring the first Monopoly-branded Match 3 game to the category, given the success other Monopoly-branded titles have enjoyed in other segments,” Johnson said in the release. “It’s early days, but Monopoly Match offers the opportunity to diversify our portfolio, attract new players, and further strengthen loyalty by partnering with a global, iconic brand.”
It’s another way VGW is reacting to pressure differently
The sweepstakes casino industry is at an interesting crossroads — or an “inflection point,” as Josh Kirschner, the Deputy Team Leader at Holland and Knight’s Gaming Practice and a prominent voice in the gaming law community, said in an interview with Sweepsy.
“Where what is acceptable today might not be acceptable tomorrow,” Kirschner continued. “Perhaps this is the pivot point away from dual currency being the dominant model, and more towards a model of what ClubWPT is operating or Modo is operating or any of these others that I’m not giving credit to that deserve it.”
With most of the heightened pressure and scrutiny focused on the traditional dual-currency model, with the redeemable Sweeps Coins at the heart of the issue, Kirschner is right in the sense that many operators have made pivots to new, more legally airtight gaming models.
There’s the single-currency model of ClubWPT Gold, or Card Crush and Zumba Cards and Clash 5 and all the new RPG card battle-focused sites popping up.
There’s the subscription model of Funzpoints sister site Thrillaroo, or the sweepstakes online skill games model of GetGud, from the same company that owned Kickr.
There’s the loot box platform Modo.us launched on its site, and the live online bingo several operators have begun rolling out.
There’s the advance deposit wagering system of sites like HorsePlay and Lonestar.bet, where players play real-money online casino-style games whose results are based on horse races, not random chance.
There’s the physical product model of sites like AceBet.cc, where player purchases are tied to actual physical card bundles instead of digital products in order to evade new laws banning online sweeps gaming.
There’s the notion of ditching sweeps altogether, like ProphetX did as it fully shifted from sweeps to become a predictions market platform with sports event contracts.
But VGW appears to be the only sweeps operator to have added an entirely new category of game to its library while also maintaining its existing library of social and sweeps products. In fact, VGW has leaned into its existing library of offerings by launching a new sweeps casino in late 2025 in LuckyLand Casino, and it’s planning to launch a fifth in United Slots later this year.
Not just sweepstakes gaming
And, again, that’s lean into both sweeps casinos and social gaming.
Because, while many operators have chosen to fully exit states after seeing the passage of a sweeps ban bill or receiving a cease-and-desist letter, VGW has often removed Sweeps Coin gameplay but continued to offer Gold Coin gameplay. Today, its brands still operate as Gold Coin-only social casinos in states including California, Tennessee, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia.
Once Sweeps Coins are removed, the platform instead functions as a traditional social casino, which is perfectly legal even under new anti-sweeps legislation. And social casinos can be a highly lucrative business, as players can purchase additional virtual currency, power-ups, or access to special events and promotions.
So Gold Coin-only operations can still move the needle for VGW. Rather than abandoning markets where Sweeps Coins are no longer allowed, VGW can continue generating revenue through the same monetization model used by the broader social gaming industry.
