Several widely popular sweepstakes casinos will soon shut down in Tennessee.
McLuck, Hello Millions, PlayFame, and SpinBlitz — all sites owned by B-Two Operations — will block all access to players in Tennessee beginning on July 13. Earlier this year, these four sweeps casinos ended Sweeps Coin gameplay in Tennessee, but they kept Gold Coin gameplay as an option.
Now, in a little less than a week, that option will go away, too.
Tennessee will join Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Washington, and West Virginia as markets where no gameplay options remain for players at McLuck, Hello Millions, PlayFame, and SpinBlitz. And, on July 15, Maine will also be added to that list.
These four sweeps casinos do, however, still offer Gold Coin gameplay in California.
First the cease-and-desists, then the legislation
The impetus for this move likely dates back to late 2025, when Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced he had sent cease-and-desist orders to nearly 40 sweepstakes casino operators.
Included in that list was McLuck, Hello Millions, PlayFame, and SpinBlitz.
Not long after, the sites became Gold Coin-only platforms in Tennessee.
So, why the shift to fully offline now?
It could have something to do with legislation passed in Tennessee this year.
Lawmakers in the state passed, and Gov. Bill Lee later signed, Senate Bill 2136, which bans sweepstakes casinos while using broad language that could theoretically cover any pivots operators are trying to make in other states.
In SB2136, sweeps casinos are defined as gaming sites that “generally utilize a system allowing players to play casino-style games with virtual currency and exchange the virtual currency for cash or other real-world prizes.”
Most sweeps ban bills in other jurisdictions focus on “dual-currency” or “multiple-currency” models used by sweeps casinos. Tennessee’s bill paints with a broad brush with the “virtual currency” wording, throwing any and all gaming models under the scope of illegality.
Interestingly, SB2136 for a time seemed like it may actually be a victory for the sweeps industry.
At various stages, lawmakers considered removing the sweepstakes casino ban altogether, while another amendment would have required a study examining the economic benefits of establishing a regulated sweepstakes casino market in the state.
Neither of those ultimately were part of the bill that passed.
Again, in the end, legislators opted for broader language prohibiting sweepstakes casinos that rely on any type of “virtual currency” — which would, for example, encompass single-currency models such as those used by Card Crush and ClubWPT Gold.
Lee signed the bill into law in late May, when it took immediate effect.
VGW sites enter Gold Coin-only mode in Indiana
In other operator news, VGW, the sweeps behemoth behind Chumba Casino, Global Poker, LuckyLand Slots, and LuckyLand Casino, has entered Gold Coin-only mode in Indiana, where Sweeps Coin gameplay at sweeps casinos became illegal on July 1 due to House Bill 1052.
While many operators in the industry have fully shut down their platforms in states in response to passed bills banning sweeps casinos or even cease-and-desist orders, VGW properties have been pretty consistent in dropping Sweeps Coin gameplay but keeping Goin Coin gameplay live. For example, VGW sites still offer Goin Coin gameplay in Tennessee, California, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia.
Once a sweeps casino strips out Sweeps Coins, and only Gold Coins remain, it simply becomes a social casino. And social casinos — some of the most popular of which are brands like Jackpot Party Casino and 88 Fortunes Casino from Light & Wonder’s SciPlay — aren’t facing any of the legal and regulatory scrutiny sweeps casinos currently face. That’s because social casino currency can’t be redeemed for money, whereas Sweeps Coins can.
However, there’s still a ton of money to be made in the social casino business.
That’s part of why operators such as VGW often continue offering Gold Coin games after discontinuing Sweeps Coins in certain states.
Yes, players can play these social casino games for free, but many choose to purchase additional virtual coins or pay for premium features, such as exclusive events, tournaments, or in-game bonuses. Light & Wonder’s SciPlay division, for instance, generates roughly $200 million in quarterly revenue despite offering games that do not award cash prizes.
In fact, in a recent earnings call, Light & Wonder said its paying players were spending $1.08 each day on average. The goal for these social companies is to turn as many free players into paid players as possible.
The exact same thing can happen via Gold Coin play at sweeps casinos.
In fact, that may be why we’re not seeing VGW publicly pivot to any of the alternate gaming models we’re seeing sweeps operators concoct in this age of scrutiny on the dual-currency model — like the single-currency model of Card Crush or ClubWPT Gold, or the loot box strategy of Modo.us, or the subscription model of Thrillaroo, or the advance deposit wagering loophole of GiddyUp and Lonestar.bet, etc.
Instead, VGW appears to be leaning into its current arsenal of brands and even launching new ones — LuckyLand Casino recently and United Slots expected later this year — with a dual-currency setup in states where it’s allowed and a Gold Coin-only, social casino-only setup in states where Sweeps Coins aren’t allowed.
