In what has become a symptom of a strenuous year for the sweepstakes gaming industry, two more sweeps casinos are permanently shutting down their operations.
Bitsler.io and Starlight Casino informed players of their closures earlier this week.
Vivaro.us also shut its site down on Oct. 1, citing “increasing regulatory uncertainty surrounding sweepstakes casinos in the United States.” Although not directly stated in either sweeps casino’s notice to its players, it’s not hard to read between the lines and infer that the shutdown of Bitsler.io and Starlight Casino also might have something to do with the total addressable sweeps casino market shrinking due to legislation and cease-and-desists in 2025.
Starlight Casino going offline on Nov. 16
Let’s start with Starlight Casino. Here’s what it wrote to its players, in part:
Date: 01 November 2025
We would like to inform you that StarlightCasino will be permanently shutting down and discontinuing its services. This notice is issued in accordance with our updated Terms & Conditions and Sweep Rules.
SHUTDOWN PROCESS
- New users are not able to register for an Account during the Shutdown Period.
- You may continue to use your existing Gold Coins (GCO, TICO OR GC) for gameplay for fifteen calendar days from the date of this notice (“Shutdown Period”).
- You will not be able to purchase additional Gold Coins (GCO, TICO OR GC) during the Shutdown Period. You will not be able to receive any additional Sweep Coins (SC, FICO, or FC) by any means during the Shutdown Period.
So, given the date of the notice is Nov. 1, the 15-day shutdown period will last until Nov. 16. However, even though the site doesn’t close until Nov. 16, it stopped allowing new player registrations on Nov. 1.
Bitsler.io saying goodbye on Dec. 1
Now onto Bitsler.io, the U.S. sweeps gaming site under the umbrella of Bitsler, which is actually a well-known online cryptocurrency casino. Here’s what it wrote to players:
Hi [First Name],
Bitsler.io will close on December 1st, 2025.
What this means for you:
You can still log in, play, and make purchases until November 10th, 2025. After that, no new purchases or mail-in entries will be accepted. Gameplay continues until November 24th, and you can redeem any remaining balances until December 1st, 2025.
Need help?
Our live chat will be on until December 1st.
Please email [email protected] with any questions through December 31st, 2025.
So, to review: No currency purchase or mail-ins after Nov. 10, gameplay ends Nov. 25, and Sweeps Coin redemptions end after Dec. 1.
Shutdowns are one of a handful of common responses
Responses to California banning sweepstakes casinos with Assembly Bill 831, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, have essentially fallen into one of four categories.
First, some operators are choosing to leave California well ahead of time. Nine so far, in fact, have exited the state already even though the law allows them to stay until Dec. 31. Those nine are High 5 Casino, Carnival Citi, Ruby Sweeps, Dara Casino, SweepsUSA, Grand Vault Casino, TheBoss.Casino, CosmoSlots, and LuckySlots.
These operators are choosing this early exit most likely out of an abundance of caution. These are not necessarily large operators, so financial stress caused by compliance issues could wreak havoc on these companies. In other words: Let’s shut it all down now, so nothing accidentally slips through the cracks down the line.
Second, some operators are re-launching in other states where they had previously blocked access in hopes of regaining some of the revenue they’re about to lose in California. Spree re-launched in Alabama and Georgia, for instance. Baba Casino re-opened shop in six states, and ACE Casino did the same in four. Eilers & Krejcik Gaming analysts pegged California as being responsible for 17.3% of their 2025 U.S. sweeps revenue projection, so we’re talking about a significant revenue hit these companies are trying to make up for.
Third, some operators are planting their feet and remaining in California until the last moment. Modo Casino, for instance, told Sweepsy it will keep its Sweeps Coin gameplay active in the state until Dec. 31. Then, starting in 2026, it will be a Gold Coin-only site. Sweepsy also learned that WOW Vegas officials fully intend on remaining in California until the final moments sweeps casinos are legal.
And then fourth, some smaller operators won’t be able to make up for the revenue loss and are closing their doors. These operators include Vivaro.us and now Starlight Casino and Bitsler.io, but these are only the shutdowns we know about. There are surely more, as there are well more than 180 sweeps casinos out there and it’s hard to keep track of them all.
But just to give you a sense of California’s revenue impact …
We already mentioned the 17.3% market share. And when EKG realized AB831 would pass in California, analysts shrunk their overall U.S. sweeps gaming revenue projection in 2025 from $4.6 billion down to $4 billion. And the projection dipped even lower in 2026, to $3.6 billion.
