One of the more intriguing alternative gameplay sites to pop up in the emerging post-dual-currency era of sweepstakes gaming is shutting down operations — and it’s not at all clear whether this is short term or permanent.
GiddyUp, a platform created by HK Games, Inc. that uses advance deposit wagering and horse racing results to fuel its casino-style game results, has notified its players via email and a banner on the homepage that it will disable credit card purchases on Oct. 15 and shut down access to its games on Oct. 19.
From there, balance withdrawals will be available until Nov. 2.
As part of one of its emails to players, GiddyUp called this part of the site’s “temporary wind-down” — but there is no clear indication whether this is actually temporary.
KHK Games, Inc. also owns the sweeps casinos Clubs Casino and Clubs Poker.
Games disabled on Oct. 19
On Oct. 7, GiddyUp sent the following email with the subject line Reminder: Purchases & Spins Disabled on October 15 to its players:
This is a reminder that credit purchases will be disabled on October 15 as part of GiddyUp’s temporary wind-down.
Gameplay will remain available until October 19, and cash withdrawals will remain available until November 2.
See the “temporary” language?
However, that language disappears in GiddyUp’s Oct. 14 email:
This is your final reminder that credit purchases will be disabled tomorrow, October 15.
Gameplay will continue to be available until October 19, and cash withdrawals will remain available until November 2.
Of note: The homepage banner doesn’t mention anything about being temporary. It simply reads:
Final Reminder: Credit purchases will be disabled tomorrow, October 15. Games will be disabled on October 19.
Some insight directly from GiddyUp
Seeking clarification, Sweepsy reached out to GiddyUp’s customer service team to see whether this shutdown was indeed short term or permanent.
“As we evaluate what’s next for GiddyUp, we’ll be temporarily winding down the platform over the coming weeks,” a customer service representative replied. “We want to make this transition as smooth as possible and give you plenty of time to use your balance and withdraw any remaining funds.”
A little vague, right?
As we evaluate what’s next …
We want to make this transition as smooth as possible …
So, Sweepsy followed up and asked: “When will GiddyUp relaunch? Or could this become permanent?”
The representative’s reply: “Thank you for reaching out and for your continued support of GiddyUp. While we don’t have a specific update or confirmed date at this time, we truly appreciate your enthusiasm and understanding. We look forward to seeing you again and hope to welcome you back in the future. Please keep an eye on our official updates for any news.”
Strong legal foundation for GiddyUp, other ADW gaming sites
GiddyUp, HorsePlay, and Lonestar.bet are among the most popular gaming sites that have popped up over the last year or so that connect casino-style games to horse racing outcomes.
Rather than generating outcomes through a conventional random number generator (RNG), GiddyUp draws on actual horse racing results. Players do not place wagers on races unfolding live. Instead, the platform uses existing race data, whether historical or loaded into its system in advance, to determine the results of casino-style games, including slot-like gameplay.
The experience is designed to resemble a conventional sweeps casino. When a player starts a game, the system selects a result from its race database and presents it as the outcome of the game. In other words, the result has already been determined before the player sees it.
That connection to horse racing is central to the model’s legal argument. By structuring gameplay around horse racing outcomes and pari-mutuel wagering, GiddyUp has relied on a framework that has allowed it to evade dual-currency gaming bans.
Read the information GiddyUp presents in its footer, for instance, about the backbone of its gaming ecosystem:
GiddyUp.us is owned and operated by KHK Games, Inc. Wagering Services provided by AmWest under its Oregon multi-jurisdictional Simulcasting and Interactive Wagering Totalizator Hub license.
All wagers are deemed placed in the state of Oregon.
This is just ADW wagering under a veil of casino-style gaming. And that makes it pretty airtight legally speaking, as a TwinSpires legal victory in December in Michigan dictated that the federal Interstate Horseracing Act overrides any extra state-level laws regarding horse race wagering, and the IHA opens the door for essentially any type of gaming fueled by ADW.
So, all this is to say it’s interesting to see GiddyUp backing out, considering the strength of its legal standing in the face of scrutiny on the sweeps industry.