ClubWPT Gold, a recent addition to the sweepstakes poker landscape in the US, has announced that it will be exiting the New York market, inviting players to submit their final redemption requests by August 2, 2025.
The site, powered by the World Poker Tour, decided to leave New York following recent legislative developments that saw the state pass a bill making the sweepstakes poker model illegal in the state. The bill still needs the governor’s signature to become a law, but this is not a matter of if but rather when.
Acting preemptively and not waiting for the last moment, ClubWPT Gold has stopped accepting players from New York, and existing users can no longer purchase Gold Coins on the site. As for those players who still have Sweeps Coins, the deadline for redemption is August 2 at 11:00 pm ET.
Once the bill is signed, any players accessing the site from New York or those who opened an account using a NY ID will no longer be able to submit redemption requests.
Not a Surprise Exit
While the news about ClubWPT Gold leaving isn’t great for New York poker players, it doesn’t come as a surprise, either.
The operator sent an email to Empire State players last week, informing them that the recently passed bill would likely result in their withdrawal from the market, urging them to submit redemption requests for their existing balances.
So, the latest announcement just makes it official, giving players a few more days to settle things. Once the deadline passes, NY users will no longer have the ability to initiate the redemption process, but ClubWPT Gold remains dedicated to finding legal solutions for those players who happen to miss the August 2 cutoff.
What’s in the Cards for ClubWPT Gold & Sweepstakes Poker in the US?
The news about ClubWPT Gold withdrawing from New York doesn’t come as a surprise, given the fact that the operator seems keen to do things by the book.
However, the Empire State isn’t the only one to make legislative movements against the sweepstakes model. Nevada, Connecticut, and, more recently, New Jersey, are in various stages of the process that would outlaw sweepstakes online poker and other forms of gambling.
When it comes to poker operators, in addition to ClubWPT Gold, major stakeholders in the market are Clubs Poker, Stake US, and Global Poker. Each site has a different approach when it comes to preemptive actions, but once anti-sweeps laws take full effect, they’ll be forced to fold.
For many years, these sites were allowed to operate without any major hindrances, as their business model wasn’t breaking any gaming or financial laws. Recently, however, things have started to change, with individual states taking a keen interest and coming up with bills specifically addressing this segment of the gaming industry.
These developments will have a significant impact on US online poker players and sweepstakes sites alike, but they come at a particularly inconvenient time for ClubWPT Gold, which has only been operating for a year. Over that year, it’s seen a tremendous growth in player numbers, but that trend could be seriously affected by the growing anti-sweepstakes climate in a number of states.
