Photo of Vegas Coins closure splash screen.
Vegas Coins unfortunately closed its doors in November. Photos in this sweepstakes news article are original and created by Angela Zillich.

Reactions to recent state bans have led to a mass exodus in Tennessee, along with exits in West Virginia. Additionally, Vegas Coins has shut down its operations, citing regulatory pressure. Meanwhile, VGW goes against the stream and is launching a new sweepstakes casino.

TL;DR: A Bite-sized Overview:

  • Vegas Coins shut down operations: Citing regulatory pressure after sweepstakes banwave across the US.
  • VGW exits West Virginia: Phases out Sweeps Coins but leaves Gold Coins gameplay, effectively turning sweepstakes sites into Social Casinos.
  • Tennessee exodus: Chanced, High 5, VGW, and other operators exit the state.
  • VGW is launching LuckyLand Casino: With pre-registration and demo games ahead of the grand opening of this new sweepstakes casino.
  • ProphetX ditching sweepstakes: After failing to leave a mark in the sweepstakes industry, the sports operator is targeting a 2026 launch of a new prediction market platform.
  • Pirated Games Featured in New Sites: We discovered several new sweepstakes sites that feature pirated Pragmatic Play games while marketing them as originals.

Vegas Coins Shut Down Operations on November 28

Vegas Coins, a solid sweepstakes casino I tested and reviewed earlier this year, launched in 2024 and was forced to shut down its site last month. We, along with all other players at Vegas Coins, received an email notifying us of the closure, citing regulatory pressure, specifically sweepstakes bans in Montana, Connecticut, New Jersey, and California.

As of last week, the site is closed. If you have larger amounts pending from a redemption, email support@vegascoins.com by December 19, 2025.

VGW Pulls Sweepstakes Casinos from West Virginia, Now Exits 12 US Jurisdictions

Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW) began phasing out Sweeps Coin play for Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker in West Virginia on November 12, 2025. Redemptions were completely shut down on November 25. All of this was announced in good time, allowing players to take action. This is the right way to do it, compared to other sweepstakes casinos that have abruptly blocked player access and stopped redemptions overnight. VGW’s brands remain available in West Virginia, but only with Gold Coins, effectively turning into social casinos.

The exit from West Virginia marks VGW’s 12th US exit in the past year, following an aggressive targeting by state AGs and legislators. VGW has now exited the following states:

  1. Connecticut
  2. Delaware
  3. Idaho
  4. Louisiana
  5. Michigan
  6. Mississippi
  7. Montana
  8. Nevada
  9. New Jersey
  10. New York
  11. Washington.
  12. West Virginia.

Many Sweepstakes Operators Are Leaving Tennessee

Following regulatory uncertainty in Tennessee, amid speculation about unreported AG subpoenas, similar to what we’ve seen in other states like New York, many operators are withdrawing. Besides VGW’s brands, the following sites are leaving:

VGW Teasing New LuckyLand Casino Site

Photo of the pre-registration banner on the new LuckyLand Casino site.
Pre-registration is open at LuckyLand Casino.

Despite headwinds, VGW is launching a new sweepstakes casino called LuckyLand Casino, which is not to be confused with its other brand, LuckyLand Slots.

From what we can see on the website, pre-registration is available, and they have secured an iGaming license from the MGA (Malta Gaming Authority). This license is not necessary to operate sweepstakes casinos in the US. Still, it could hint at overseas use of the brand, as the MGA license enables legal real-money online casino operations in many jurisdictions worldwide.

If you register at LuckyLand Casino, you get access to some demo slots, including:

  • American Outlaws 10K Ways
  • Giza Infinity Reels
  • Dragon 50000

Keeping both LuckyLand Casino and LuckyLand Slots could cause some confusion, and it remains to be seen if LuckyLand Slots is pulled after the launch of the new site. Given VGW's size and resources, they may release a sweepstakes app alongside the new desktop and mobile websites.

ProphetX Files for CFTC Regulation, Ditching Sweepstakes for Sports Prediction Markets

ProphetX is ditching the sweepstakes industry to enter the prediction market space. Literally, they have applied to become a CFTC-regulated Designated Contract Market and clearinghouse.

The move is less dramatic than it sounds because ProphetX never managed to take off in the sweepstakes industry to begin with. Nonetheless, they are set to become the second sweepstakes operator to launch a prediction market platform. The launch is targeted for 2026 pending regulatory approval.

Several New Sweepstakes Sites Feature Pirated Pragmatic Play Games

JustGamblers recently updated our sweepstakes blacklist to include a batch of new sweepstakes casinos that feature pirated Pragmatic Play games while labeling them as original. For the experienced eye, it’s easy to spot that these are fake versions of the original games. Additionally, in September, we reported that Pragmatic Play had removed all its games from sweepstakes casinos following regulatory uncertainty.

Games include popular sweepstakes slots like:

  • Sweet Bonanza
  • Gates of Olympus
  • Buffalo King Megaways

And may include other titles, in general, any game marketed as Pragmatic Play in a sweepstakes casino would be a bootleg version of the original game.