We now know the California strategy for another major player in the sweepstakes casino industry.
McLuck, one of the most popular sweeps casinos in the United States and the flagship platform of B-Two Operations, will shut down Sweeps Coin gameplay in California on Dec. 29, Sweepsy has learned. However, players will still be able to access Gold Coin gameplay — the same style offered by the social casino operators that are opposed to sweeps gaming.
It’s unclear whether this same timeline will apply to the other sweeps casinos in B-Two Operations’ portfolio, which includes Hello Millions, Mega Bonanza, Jackpota, PlayFame, and SpinBlitz. Although, it’s probably safe to assume that Dec. 29 will be the Sweeps Coin cutoff date for those platforms, as well.
Sweepstakes casinos using a dual-currency model (Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins) will become illegal in California on Jan. 1, 2026, thanks to Gov. Gavin Newsom signing Assembly Bill 831 into law in October.
What the biggest brands are doing in California
B-Two Operations becomes the second company within the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance whose California plans are now known.
Here’s where everyone else stands in regards to how they’re approaching the Jan. 1 deadline:
- Yellow Social Interactive Ltd. will shut everything down in California — both Sweeps Coin and Gold Coin gameplay — on Dec. 15 at its two properties, Pulsz Casino and Pulsz Bingo.
- VGW (Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, Global Poker) hasn’t revealed its plans, but industry watchers widely expect the company to stay open in California until near the Jan. 1 cutoff.
- ARB Interactive (Modo.us) — told Sweepsy it will continue normal operations through Dec. 31. After that, it plans to discontinue Sweeps Coin play but keep its Gold Coin mode running.
Several large operators outside the SGLA are also preparing for the state’s final days of sweeps casino legality:
- Stake.us will fully exit the California market on Dec. 30, ending both Sweeps Coin and Gold Coin play.
- WOW Vegas hasn’t made public announcements, but Sweepsy reported in October that the company intends to operate in California until close to Jan. 1.
The reason to keep Gold Coin gameplay active
There’s a reason you see sites like McLuck and Modo.us keeping Gold Coin gameplay live and, frankly, why it’s a little surprising to see a site like Pulsz not do so.
That’s because even only offering gameplay with Gold Coins — the non-redeemable currency — can still generate real revenue.
Free-to-play doesn’t mean small profits. The social casino category is enormous: Light & Wonder, one of the strongest critics of sweepstakes models, reports around $200 million in quarterly earnings from their social casino games alone. The economics come from optional purchases — bundles of virtual currency, bonus features, access to special events, etc.
There’s another key signal for operators watching California: The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, the main backer of AB831 and a leading opponent of sweeps casinos, operates its own social gaming site called Play.Yamaava. Whatever format that platform uses is almost certain to remain compliant under the new law, which strongly suggests Gold Coin-only social casino play will still be permissible long-term in the state.
Updated list of restricted markets for McLuck
In addition to pulling their Sweeps Coin gameplay in California on Dec. 29, McLuck and fellow B-Two Operations sites don’t offer any type of gameplay in the following states:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Washington
- West Virginia
Add ToraTora Casino to list of sites that already left
It’s important to note that McLuck, as well as the other larger operators whose California plans are now known, have not left or adjusted their offerings in the state yet.
However, many other sweeepstakes casinos have already left.
For the most part, these operators are smaller platforms, whose early retreats likely signal extra caution knowing that even a minor regulatory misstep in the state could be financially devastating.
The following brands are already out of California:
- High 5 Casino
- Carnival Citi
- Dara Casino
- Ruby Sweeps
- SweepsUSA
- TheBoss.Casino
- Grand Vault Casino
- CosmoSlots
- LuckySlots
- Vegas Gems
- Peak Play
- Betty Sweeps
- SweepNext
- Stackr Casino
- ToraTora Casino
The newest addition to this list is ToraTora.
