We now know the California exit strategy and timeline for one of the most iconic brands in the sweepstakes gaming industry.
Stake.us, in a message sent to its California players, is saying it will end operations in California on Dec. 30 — two days before Jan. 1, 2026, when sweepstakes casinos become illegal in the state thanks to Assembly Bill 831.
Sweepsy confirmed this timeline with a Stake.us customer service representative.
In contrast to Modo Casino, which will only end its Sweeps Coin gameplay but keep its Gold Coin gameplay live in California in 2026 and beyond, Sweepsy confirmed with the Stake.us representative that all gameplay will end on Dec. 30 — both with Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins.
Translation: This will be a full platform shutdown.
California accounts will switch to ‘Redeem Only mode’ after Dec. 30
Here is the communication Stake.us is sending to its California players:
We regret to inform you that, due to recent changes in California state regulations, our platform will no longer be available to users within California as of December 30th.
As a result, we’re unable to accept any new registrations or verifications using documents issued by the State of California.
If you wish to use our platform, you’ll need to verify your account with an ID card or driver’s license issued from a non-restricted area.
Should you obtain such documentation, please contact us and we’ll be happy to assist you with the verification process.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.
Stake.us is also telling its California players that, starting Dec. 30:
Affected accounts will be placed into Redeem Only mode. This means you’ll still be able to log in and redeem any remaining balance, but you won’t be able to:
- Play games
- Make purchases
- Participate in promotions
- Request postcards for free Stake Cash or generate codes
So there are a couple key distinctions here.
New player registrations will close in California the same day players will lose access to the gaming platform. Often this happens in a more staggered approach, with new sign-ups getting blocked one week, then gameplay the following week. But Stake.us is taking an all-in-one approach for Dec. 30.
Also important to note: After Dec. 30, players will still be able to access Stake.us but only for the purpose of redeeming any remaining Sweeps Coins. This is also a change of pace from many other shutdowns in the sweeps industry. Oftentimes, players are given advanced heads up and told any remaining Sweeps Coins in their account after a certain date will be lost. Stake.us, meanwhile, seems to be making sure players don’t lose anything, no matter when they redeem.
Keeping GC play live vs. not
Stake.us is the third major sweeps industry brand Sweepsy has reported will stay in California right up until AB831 becomes law and sweeps casinos are officially illegal in the state.
Another is WOW Vegas, which hasn’t released anything public, but communications obtained by Sweepsy reveal WOW Vegas officials intend to remain in California up until the deadline.
And then there’s Modo Casino, which told Sweepsy two weeks ago it would only shut down its Sweeps Coin gameplay after Dec. 31 and keep Gold Coin gameplay live and operational in California.
It remains to be seen what WOW Vegas and other large operators, such as VGW, do in regards to Gold Coin gameplay in California after Jan. 1. At this point, it’s notable that Stake.us is not keeping Gold Coin gameplay live, as there is still significant revenue in social casino gaming.
That’s what social casino gaming is — games using Gold Coins, which cannot be redeemed for anything of real-world value, unlike Sweeps Coins, which can.
Operators can still make significant revenue via social casinos. (Just ask Light & Wonder, a staunch sweeps casino opponent that makes $200 million in quarterly revenue from the social casino arm of its business, SciPlay.) Social casinos are completely free to play, but players can purchase bundles of in-game currency, plus other optional premium perks such as mystery rewards or access to tournaments.
The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, the sponsor of AB831 and main opponent of sweeps casinos in California, operates its own social casino called Play.Yamaava. So any gameplay model used by Play.Yamavaa will be legal under AB831, giving these sweeps operators even more confidence they won’t be penalized for operating social casinos in California.
And then there’s this: AB831, and other sweeps ban bills in New York and New Jersey, for instance, specifically criminalize the dual-currency model. With just Gold Coins in use for social casino gameplay, operators offer a legal, single-currency model.
California lawsuit is likely a factor here
Stake.us may be choosing the full platform shutdown route because it’s in hotter water in California than many of its peers in the industry.
Sweepsteaks Ltd., the company behind Stake.us, has been sued in California alongside streaming platform Kick and several gaming vendors: Big Time Gaming, Evolution, Hacksaw Gaming, NetEnt, No Limit City, Pragmatic Play, and Red Tiger Gaming.
The lawsuit alleges Stake.us and its co-defendants collectively operated an illegal online gambling network in California. This lawsuit carries more weight than the class action lawsuits faced by sweeps operators around the country because this marked the first occasion a state government formally sued an operator.
The results of this lawsuit were swift. At Sweepsy’s last check with Stake.us, 11 gaming vendors had left the operator in California. Pragmatic Play told Next.io it was separating from sweeps casinos in the U.S. entirely. Playtech, which wasn’t even named in the lawsuit, told Sweepsy it was canceling all partnerships with sweeps casinos in California.
