Deputy Editor
Sweepstakes poker operators Global Poker and Stake.us appear to be on their way out of Tennessee. Recent industry reports suggest both sites’ operators have received cease-and-desist letters, and both appear to be complying. Both poker products have been caught up in a larger crackdown by the state against sweepstakes casinos.
A poker player on Reddit posted a screenshot of their notice from Global Poker.
“From November 24, 2025, we will be phasing out Promotional Play (Sweeps Coins) in the state of Tennessee,” the notice reads. “We understand this news may be disappointing, and want to assure you this decision wasn’t made lightly — it was carefully considered based on several business factors.”
The notice goes on to say that Gold Coin (free) play will remain. Sweeps Coins are effectively site currency that users can exchange for cash. The sweepstakes model allows sites to, in effect, operate as real-money gaming.
Players have until Jan. 20, 2026 to redeem their Sweeps Coins in Tennessee. They can use existing Sweeps Coins in their account to play until Dec. 23.
VGW Holdings, which owns Global Poker, also recently exited West Virginia.
Stake.us, the sweepstakes and U.S.-facing arm of the global online casino Stake.com, is also reportedly exiting the Volunteer State.
Stake.us does not currently list Tennessee among its restricted territories. However, a report from Sweepsy indicates that the company will cease all operations there Dec. 19. That includes Sweeps Coin and Gold Coin play.
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Are Poker Sites Collateral Damage?
Stake.us and Global Poker are notably connected to online casino offerings under their parent companies. It’s possible that they’re simply collateral damage as the Tennessee regulators look to shut down sweepstakes casinos. Two other sweepstakes poker operators that don’t have an affiliated casino have seemingly been unaffected so far.
Regulators in various parts of the country have taken similar actions in the past year. New Jersey, New York, and California have legislated against sweeps. However, Tennessee and a number of other states have taken the logistically easier, but piecemeal approach of issuing cease-and-desists to specific operators rather than amending their gambling laws.
Arizona provides a potentially similar case study. There, sweepstakes casinos exited en masse following cease-and-desist orders this September. Sweepstakes poker sites, however, largely remained operational.
That may bode well for ClubWPT Gold and Clubs Poker’s chances of escaping the crackdown. Neither site has updated its excluded territories to include Tennessee as of Nov. 21.
ClubWPT Gold responded to legislative bans on sweeps by ditching its dual-currency model. However, may not matter if it receives a cease-and-desist letter.
Either way, sweepstakes poker remains in a somewhat precarious place. PokerScout projected that pending regulation or the pending enforcement of passed regulation could wipe out roughly 30% of the player pool. Those numbers did not include Tennessee, which ranks 15th in population with about 7.2 million, or another 2.2% of the U.S. population.
Image credit: Brian Stansberry/Wikimedia Commons (license)
