As the effective date for New Jersey’s bill banning online sweepstakes casinos draws near, another well-known operator has shut off access in the state.
MyPrize.us is now blocking players in New Jersey from playing its games.
The sweepstakes casino’s list of excluded states now includes:
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Washington
These exclusions come “due to local regulatory requirements,” MyPrize.us writes on its site.
Counting down the days …
The New Jersey Legislature passed a bill banning sweeps casinos — Assembly Bill 5447 — on June 30 and sent it off to Gov. Phil Murphy. He hasn’t yet signed the bill, but in New Jersey, a bill receives “pocket approval” if the governor takes no action on it for 45 days while the legislature is still in session.
Aug. 14 would mark day No. 45 after June 30, so that’s why you’re seeing sweeps casinos leave New Jersey right now. Some left soon after the bill passed on June 30, reading the writing on the wall of what was to come. Some waited longer to make the decision, hoping Murphy would veto the bill.
VGW, for instance, the owner of Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker, began phasing its sweepstakes games out of New Jersey on July 29.
Funzpoints and Spree pulled out of New Jersey not long before. And before that, Clubs Poker, Clubs Casino, and LuckySlots.us all shut operations down in the state.
(Notably, VGW is keeping its Gold Coin social casino games live in New Jersey.)
MyPrize Inc. just closed $21M investment round
Investors don’t appear to be scared off as MyPrize.us navigates an uncertain future in the United States.
MyPrize.us is owned by MyPrize Inc. and founder and CEO Zach Bruch. Despite significant industry and legislative scrutiny on US sweepstakes gaming in 2025, MyPrize Inc. recently closed its latest funding round with $21 million in new investments — at a $250 million valuation.
The company runs MyPrize.us in the US, and it also offers crypto games outside the US.
“The growth we are seeing at MyPrize proves that social gaming has fully arrived to the US market,” Bruch said in a press release, “and there is massive demand for a more engaging, creator-driven approach to online gaming.”
VGW pushing for ‘respectful engagement’ as it phases sweeps out of Mississippi
In other departure news, VGW confirmed to Sweepsy that it began phasing its Sweeps Coins games out of Mississippi on July 31. Its social games will still be available. Next.io was first to report.
VGW was the only sweepstakes operator to receive a cease-and-desist letter in Mississippi when the state’s gaming regulator issued the letters to 10 operators (the other nine were offshore betting sites) in mid-June, the same week Louisiana sent cease-and-desists to 42 companies — also including VGW.
In Mississippi, VGW was a victim of the fame of its flagship site, Chumba Casino, whose popularity makes it an easy target for any regulator or Attorney General looking for sweeps casinos to send a cease-and-desist to.
“Following careful consideration, we’ve informed players of a decision to phase out Promotional Play (sweepstakes promotions) in the state of Mississippi,” a VGW spokesperson told Sweepsy.
“Our valued players in Mississippi will still be able to enjoy all their favorite free-to-play games using Gold Coins, and we are 100 percent focused on ensuring players are fully informed about the changes, and that this transition is as smooth as possible. This decision wasn’t taken lightly and was made at this time in the best interests of all our stakeholders.
“As we’ve previously said, we acknowledge increased interest in our innovative industry that millions of Americans enjoy, and are committed to respectful engagement on establishing modern, appropriate regulatory structures that benefit players and states alike.”
Although VGW was the only sweeps operator to receive a cease-and-desist in Mississippi in June, Pulsz also has shut down its sweepstakes games in the state. Like VGW, it still allows players to play with Gold Coins in Mississippi. Its policy in New Jersey is the same. Meanwhile, its full platform — Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins — is offline in Washington, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Alabama, Tennessee, Connecticut, New York, West Virginia, Louisiana and Maryland.
