Maryland DEMANDS That VGW (Global Poker) Exit State
On March 12, 2025, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA) sent a letter to VGH Holdings, an Australian gaming company that manages Global Poker, Chumba Casino, and Luckyland Slots. The letter, written by MLGCA Managing Director Michael Eaton, alleges that “VGW d/b/a Chumba Casino and Luckyland Slots…is offering and conducting online gaming activities in Maryland without legal authority to do so.” The agency directed VGW to stop providing “any sports wagering, casino game, or fantasy competition” to state residents within 10 days of the issuance of the letter.
About VGW
VGW is an Australian firm founded in 2010, which has stated its ambitious mission “to be the biggest gaming company in the world.” It launched its first brand, Chumba Casino, in 2012 followed by Global Poker in 2016. In 2019, VGW launched LuckyLand Slots.
Sweepstakes Model
In order to get around various gambling laws in the United States and Canada, the VGW brands operate using a sweepstakes model. Rather than depositing real money, users purchase Gold Coins, which are basically play money. With each purchase, though, they acquire Sweeps Coins for free.
These Sweeps Coins can be used to participate in various games, and after a certain playthrough is reached, they can be redeemed for real money. Allegedly, the Sweeps Coin wins are produced through a type of virtual sweepstakes, but the operations of these sweepstakes appear to be identical to the results of casino or poker games.
Thus, it’s not clear if Sweeps games constitute a permitted form of gaming under various state laws. The alternate interpretation is that these activities are nothing more than real money gaming in disguise with the sweepstakes model as a fig leaf barely obscuring what's going on.
Three Separate Brands
As we've mentioned, VGW manages three brands: Chumba Casino, Global Poker, and LuckyLand Casino. Chumba was the first of these and one of the innovators in employing sweepstakes gaming as a workaround to cumbersome federal and state laws. We can see what Chumba offers by taking a look at the “Games” section of its website:
Game Lobby of Chumba CasinoHere we can see that there are plenty of slots, along with table games, like Blackjack, craps, and video poker, and instant win scratchcards. It looks pretty much like any other online casino.
LuckyLand hosts more or less the same kinds of games as Chumba. Global Poker is different. Although Global does contain a selection of casino games, it's focused on poker with cash games, tournaments, and SNGs aplenty. Curiously, the letter refers specifically to the Chumba and Luckyland brands by name implying that it is casino gaming that the MLGCA is concerned about rather than poker.
What Does the MLGCA Want VGW to Do?
The MLGCA noted in its letter that sports betting and fantasy contests are the only forms of online gaming permitted in Maryland while casino gaming is wholly excluded. Even in the case of sports wagering and fantasy sports, licensure or registration with the state is required, which VGW does not possess.
The MLGCA letter orders VGW to confirm whether or not it is still offering its services in Maryland by 5:00 p.m. on March 27. If it has stopped doing so, then it merely needs to send a response confirming this fact. If, on the other hand, VGW persists in accepting Marylanders as gaming customers, then the Agency wants it to supply the following information:
1. A detailed description of the name of each casino game offering, along with its mobile link, or its retail location and trade name, if applicable;
A detailed description of each sports wagering offering, along with its mobile link, or its retail location and trade name, if applicable;
A detailed description of each fantasy competition offering, along with its mobile link, or its retail location and trade name, if applicable; and
Any legal analysis or opinion interpreting Maryland Law that concludes, advises, or suggests that VGW may legally offer sports wagering, casino games or fantasy competition games in Maryland without Commission registration or licensure.
A failure by VGW to provide the information requested could “jeopardize the ability of VGW to ever be issued a license for sports wagering or gaming, registration as a fantasy competition operator, or any other license, registration, or certification from the Commission in the future.”
Timing Coincidental?
The letter from the MLGCA is dated one day after the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing regarding a bill (HB1140) that would specifically ban sweepstakes casinos. A representative from VGW testified at the event, claiming that its games were “just like Candy Crush.”
Perhaps such blatantly self-interested testimony raised the ire of the authorities and is ultimately responsible for the letter being drafted in the first place. On the other hand, the MLGCA has sent similar correspondence to other online casinos in the past, so maybe it has had VGW in its crosshairs for a while now.
For example, in January, the Agency sent similar letters to 11 online gaming operators. Several of them, like BetAnySports and Everygame, are traditional internet gambling companies, but others, like Stake.US and McLuck Casino employ a sweepstakes model similar to VGW's.
VGW Under Fire
Though VGW's innovative business model seemed to keep it free from legal worries for years, this has been changing recently.
In 2018, the company stopped doing business in Washington State following a court decision that even free-to-play online gaming violated state law. Then in 2021, Idaho was added to the list of prohibited jurisdictions, and Montana was similarly blocked in 2024.
VGW appeared to exit these three states voluntarily based upon its own reading of legal conditions in different geographic regions. However, in other cases, VGW has received communications from state regulators, like the one just sent by Maryland, which prompted it to take action.
For example, the Michigan Gaming Control Board sent such a letter in December 2023, and VGW abandoned the MI market in November 2024. Meanwhile, Connecticut in February 2024 ordered the company to cease offering services to state residents, and VGW complied in December 2024.
With a growing number of states implementing regulated online gaming, we could see similar restrictions of VGW's service area going forward. Thus, the sweepstakes workaround, which once seemed so promising, could wind up being just another failed business model.
Other Maryland Gaming Providers Available
Regardless of how the situation plays out in Maryland for VGW, there are other options if you wish to play from The Old Line State. One of the best of them is BetOnline. When you sign up, you can get a 100% up to $1,000 bonus for poker, 100 free spins in the casino, and 50% up to $250 for sports betting. Click below to get started:
For additional information about the site before you make a decision, check out this thorough BetOnline Poker review. For more about Mayland online poker, check out this guide to the top MD poker sites. If you reside elsewhere in the country, then this online poker USA page might be more relevant to you.