Clubs Poker Confirms California Exit as Sweepstakes Ban Looms

Extra sweepstakes operators proceed to tug out of California, and Golf equipment Poker has now change into the newest platform to verify its departure from the state.

Gamers in California will retain entry to Golf equipment Poker till December 29, after which the location will shut down fully for them. All redemption requests should even be submitted earlier than that date.

“Heads up in your California gamers: Golf equipment will stay accessible in CA by way of December 29, 2025,” said the e-mail despatched to California gamers. “Gamers with pending prize redemptions ought to submit them by the twenty ninth. After that, accounts registered in California might be deactivated and CA entry might be geo-blocked.”

The e-mail additionally notes that gamers who’ve lately moved out of California can contact buyer assist to replace their handle and hold entry to the location.

The exit follows California Governor Gavin Newsom’s October 11 signing of AB 831, a legislation banning all types of dual-currency sweepstakes. The invoice takes impact on January 1, 2026, making California the fifth US state to ban on-line sweepstakes.

With this announcement, Golf equipment Poker turns into the second sweepstakes poker operator, after Stake US, to depart California, a market that’s each probably the most populous and among the many most profitable within the nation.

What About Others?

A number of sweepstakes on line casino operators have additionally confirmed their plans to depart, though solely two on-line poker operators have publicly introduced their exit up to now. ClubWPT Gold (CWG), nevertheless, plans to stay lively within the state regardless of the laws.

“We’re conscious of the brand new California laws scheduled to take impact on January 1, 2026. In preparation, our staff has been proactively making updates to the platform and creating new options to align with the upcoming legislative change,” reads an FAQ on their web site. “We’re dedicated to persevering with to function in compliance with California legislation.”

ClubWPT Gold’s intention to remain in California is no surprise. The operator lately overhauled its enterprise mannequin exactly to keep away from shedding entry to the huge California market. Exiting the state would cut back its addressable participant pool by greater than 10% and will influence income by 20% or extra.

To stay compliant, CWG deserted this very dual-currency mannequin and shifted to a brand new format constructed round buying training-tool credit. As an alternative of shopping for gold cash and receiving sweeps cash as a bonus, gamers now buy tokens for a hand-analysis characteristic, which then awards “chips,” the renamed sweeps cash. The platform has successfully rebranded itself as a poker coaching website.

Whether or not this revamped mannequin will efficiently enable CWG to function in California below AB 831 stays unsure, although the operator reportedly has robust authorized opinions supporting the strategy.

In the meantime, World Poker, the pioneer of contemporary sweepstakes poker, has not but confirmed its plans. In replies to prospects, the corporate has mentioned it’s “conscious of proposed laws that would influence our operations” and that “modifications are coming concerning entry to our manufacturers in California.” It added that extra updates might be supplied “sooner or later,” and that gamers could proceed utilizing the platform and submitting mail-in envelopes for sweeps cash for now.

World Poker remains to be anticipated to depart, however the timing of its announcement stays unclear. As of now, solely Stake US and Golf equipment Poker have formally confirmed their exit from California. CWG intends to remain, whereas World Poker seems to be nearing its determination.

With its exit from California, Golf equipment Poker now operates in 39 US states, after earlier pulling out of Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Washington, and West Virginia.