Editor
New Yorkers can no longer play sweepstakes poker, as the last of the three US-facing sites in that category has pulled out. Clubs Poker updated its Terms of Use on June 13, adding New York and West Virginia to the list of excluded states. The other two sweepstakes-based poker products—Global Poker and Stake.us Poker—had already made their exit.
The same terms of use apply to Clubs Casino, so that site is likewise off-limits to New York residents. Users began receiving emails warning them of the upcoming policy change in April.
New York has regulated online sports betting, but efforts to expand that framework to include casino games and poker have met with failure. That left “sweeps” sites and offshore operators as the only available options in the Empire State. Now, it looks to be moving backwards as a push to ban sweepstakes has led most operators to pull out of their own accord.
Video Gaming Worlds (VGW), the parent company of Global Poker, exited New York in late May. Meanwhile, Stake’s poker product was never available in the state to begin with. It only started offering poker late last year and was already absent from New York by that point.
What’s Left for New York Poker
The departure of sweepstakes poker sites from New York doesn’t leave poker players many options that aren’t just play money poker.
Upstate tribal casinos have poker rooms. Turning Stone Resort in particular is famous for that and is a regular stop on the World Series of Poker Circuit, most recently this March. However, that’s quite a haul from the Big Apple, so many downstate New Yorkers are more likely to go out of state to Atlantic City or Philadelphia to get their fix.
Online, the only option for traditional real-money poker play is to go offshore. There are two alternatives left in ClubWPT and ClubGG. These offer cash prizes like a sweeps site, but use a subscription model rather than the dual-currency system that Clubs Casino and others use.
It’s the dual-currency approach that New York lawmakers are trying to ban, so that may be why ClubWPT and ClubGG haven’t followed the others out of the state. However, the subscription model means they’re really only suitable for casual players. A user’s monthly risk caps out at $149.95/month for the ClubWPT Diamond plan, and obviously the potential to win is in statistical proportion to that.
Efforts to Ban Sweeps, Legalize Real Money Online Poker
New York hasn’t yet formally banned the sweepstakes social gaming model, but it’s getting close. The bill targeting the dual-currency model passed in the Senate earlier this month and has now emerged from committee in the Assembly.
The Assembly Rules Committee introduced a minor amendment before adding it to the floor calendar. Penalties for operating or supporting a dual-currency sweepstakes site would range from $10,000 to $100,000 under the new law. The original bill didn’t specify where those funds would go, while the committee substitute directs them to the Commercial Gaming Revenue Fund for purposes of supporting problem gambling education and prevention.
New York’s legislative session was supposed to end on Friday. However, the Assembly has extended it by three days, so there’s still time for the ban to pass. Also, the legislature follows a biennial cycle, so even if the ban doesn’t pass in 2025 it will remain in play next year without having to go through the Senate again.
The good news for New York poker fans is that there are still lawmakers who want to see real-money online poker legalized. In fact, Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow has at times proposed online poker on its own as an alternative to a full iGaming package.
Still, resistance to online casinos and poker in New York remains high for the time being. The Governor has said she wants to wait until after downstate retail casino-resorts have been built to discuss it. That process will take years. However, it will mean that New Yorkers have access to in-person poker without needing to go upstate.
