Clubs Poker has officially stopped offering its services in Tennessee. The decision comes on the heels of legislative changes in the state, which made it explicit that sweepstakes games constitute unlawful gambling.
Players in Tennessee have a 30-day window (until June 22) to access their accounts and redeem any remaining prize balances, while no new package purchases will be allowed.
These changes are the result of Senate Bill 2136 / House Bill 1885, which made its way through the Senate and the House back in late April. Although the final sessions saw some back and forth between the lawmakers, the bill was eventually passed, marking some significant changes in the gambling landscape.
Governor Bill Lee signed the bill, making the sweepstakes ban official.
The language of the bill makes it clear that sweepstakes games (including sweepstakes poker) constitute illegal gambling, and offering these types of services to Tennessee residents constitutes a felony. Additionally, authorities can also pursue civil penalties against any parties found to operate against the law.
The Sweepstakes Exodus Is Underway
Clubs Poker is just one of the operators to withdraw from Tennessee as a result of the new law. Other popular sites have ceased operations in the state to avoid potential fines and felony charges.
The writing has been on the wall for some time now. Back in December, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti went after a number of sweepstakes online casinos, issuing official cease-and-desist letters. The list included the likes of Chumba, Global Poker, and High 5 Casino.
The development came in the midst of a growing anti-sweepstakes sentiment in many US states. California and New York are among the most recent states to ban sweepstakes casinos, while Virginia came very close to doing the same, with the proposed bill stopped at the very last step.
As for Tennessee, the anti-sweeps bill has been making its way through legislative channels for a few months, with the House and the Senate trying to reconcile their differences on the wording. In the end, it came out as a broad act that makes all types of sweepstakes games unlawful in the state.
Consumer Protection as the Main Reason?
The Tennessee anti-sweeps bill focuses heavily on consumer protection and even brings the violations under the 1977 Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.
However, at the moment, the state does not have regulated online gambling or poker, which means that those looking to play are left without any legal options. This significantly increases the risk of some players venturing to offshore sites that continue to accept US online poker players without any regard for state or country laws.
While services of sites like Clubs Poker may be viewed differently by different states and politicians, these operators at least strive to stay transparent and run things in accordance with sweepstakes laws and stick to other important legislation regarding players’ personal information.
Offshore operators don’t have to worry about any US laws, as they choose to ignore them for the most part. This is not to say that all of these companies are completely shady, but if consumer protection is the main driving force behind the sweepstakes ban, one must wonder how states will protect players who find themselves in disputes with sites that they have absolutely zero power over.
There are many open questions, very few answers, and, for Tennessee residents, zero legal online poker options available.
