Another sweepstakes casino operator has briskly responded to a cease-and-desist in Arizona.
Pulsz, owned by Yellow Social Interactive and one of the biggest names in the industry, has informed players it will be removing its platform from Arizona in a phased exit beginning on Aug. 26 and ending on Sept. 19.
As of Monday, Aug. 25, Pulsz had not yet updated its terms and conditions. It isn’t immediately clear if this departure will also apply to Pulsz Bingo. Only Pulsz Casino was listed as one of four operators that recently received a cease-and-desist from the Arizona Department of Gaming. However, one can reasonably assume that cease-and-desist applied to both Pulsz platforms.
When Arizona is eventually included, here will be the list of Pulsz’s excluded states:
- Washington
- Idaho
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nevada
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Connecticut
- New York
- West Virginia
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Arizona
In addition, Pulsz is also limited in New Jersey and Mississippi, where players can play social games with Gold Coins but do not have access to sweepstakes games with Sweeps Coins.
When is Pulsz leaving Arizona?
The email to players lays out a timeline for Pulsz’s exit from Arizona:
- Starting Aug. 26, players in Arizona will not be able to make any additional digital currency purchases. They will, however, still be able to play with whatever Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins they still have in their account.
- Starting Sept. 5, players in Arizona will no longer be able to play any games on Pulsz. They will, however, still be able to enact redemptions with whatever Sweeps Coins they have remaining in their account.
- Starting Sept. 19, all accounts for Arizona players will close. No more redemptions.
Previously, Arizona has also sent cease-and-desists to High 5 Casino, Stake.us, and Modo.us in 2025. All three of those sweeps casinos responded by shutting down their platforms in the state.
Why is Pulsz leaving Arizona?
On Aug. 15, the Arizona Department of Gaming announced it had sent cease-and-desist letters to four sweepstakes gaming operators: Pulsz, Betty Sweeps, Thrillzz, and Fliff. In the press release, the ADG said the four operators were offering “illegal online gambling platforms, including ‘sweepstakes’ casino-style models and event wagering sportsbook betting options.”
The release continues to say: “The active operations of these companies and online websites in Arizona are alleged to be felony criminal enterprises, and each operator has been directed to desist from any future illegal gambling operations or activities of any type in Arizona.”
Operators have the option to challenge a cease-and-desist in court, but that has yet to happen in the industry. The burden of proof to overturn a cease-and-desist from a state agency is significant, so it’s not exactly surprising we haven’t seen any sweeps gaming sites try thus far.
Strategically, the smartest move is to abide by the cease-and-desist, dedicate resources to other active states, and hope that one day if sweeps gaming is regulated in the state you exited, your willing departure in response to the cease-and-desist puts you in good graces with whatever regulatory body is deciding who gets licenses.
And it makes sense why Pulsz is following the strategic path here.
Its parent company, Yellow Social Interactive, is part of the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance alongside the likes of VGW (Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, Global Poker), B-Two Operations (McLuck, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz), and ARB Interactive (Modo.us).
The SGLA is an advocacy organization trying to secure regulation for sweeps gaming in the United States, and its members are going to be quick to comply with regulators’ or lawmakers’ requests.
Both Pulsz and Thrillzz have either pulled out of Arizona or have at least initiated the process of leaving. Thrillzz, a social sportsbook like Fliff, added Arizona to its list of excluded states on Aug. 16 — the literal day after the ADG’s announcement of its four cease-and-desist letters.
As of Aug. 25, Fliff and Betty Sweeps have not added Arizona to any lists in their terms and conditions. This does not necessarily mean these operators have not begun to take any action. It just means no updates have been reflected in any public-facing way as of yet.
And Thrillzz isn’t done with just Arizona
Days after pulling out of Arizona, Thrillzz added another state to its list of excluded territories:
Tennessee.
Thrillzz isn’t the only sweeps operator to block access in Tennessee. Players in that state also can’t play using Fliff Cash at Fliff, for instance. Vegas Coins Casino has fully restricted its platform in Tennessee, as well.
But the vast majority of sweeps sites operate without restrictions in Tennessee.
So, why did Thrillzz pull out?
Thrillzz and other operators exiting Tennessee are likely doing so out of an abundance of caution related to multiple lawsuits that have been filed against sweeps casinos in the state.
There are pending lawsuits against VGW, Playtika, Aristocrat, and Product Madness in Tennessee. Last year, VGW appealed a lower court ruling to have these lawsuits tried in a Tennessee court, instead petitioning to have them heard in federal court. But an appeals court upheld the lower court decision, and these lawsuits will be heard in Tennessee.
That ruling came down in March of this year. There have been no new updates since. But sometimes operators will pull out of states with active lawsuits. That’s why a handful of sweepstakes casinos are out of Alabama and Georgia. (Although one notable operator, B-Two Operations, recently reinstated access in those states for its sweeps casinos after temporarily exiting.)
