This comes following Assembly Bill AB 831 being signed into law by Gov. Newsom, making it so that Global Poker and other similar gaming sites can no longer be accessed from the Golden State.
It spells the end for sweepstakes poker in California, a new type of online poker that’s rapidly grown in popularity ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. Players will luckily still be able to play sweepstakes poker and casino games across many of the new casinos on SweepsPlays, but it’s game over for those living in California.
Global Poker Officially Banned in California from 2026
The ban on Global Poker and other sweepstakes sites officially comes into effect on January 1, 2026. From that date onwards, Global Poker, Chumba Casino, WOW Vegas, and all of the other popular sweepstakes platforms won’t be accessible to anyone living in California.
It’s sad news, as sweepstakes poker has proven to be a real player-favorite over the past few years, providing people with a genuine alternative to traditional poker.
Global Poker in particular is a smash-hit, offering tons of social poker tournaments and special events every year, including its premier weekly No Limit Hold’em tournament “Sunday Scrimmage”, where there’s a guaranteed prize pool of SC 50,000 (this converts to around $50,000).
The dashboard also offers online tables for all the main variations of poker, including Omaha, Bounty Poker, Crazy Pineapple, and, of course, Texas Hold’em. The site also has over 350,000 regular visitors and has received countless sign ups since launching all the way back in 2016, a time where sweepstakes poker had yet to really take off.
But now that California has implemented a controversial ban on sweepstakes casinos, it likely means that Global Poker will lose a big chunk of its player base, although the site will still remain available in 44 other states until any other potential bans are put in place.
VGW, the Operator Behind Global Poker, Begged Gov. Newsom Not to Green Light the Ban
When the anti-sweepstakes bill passed unanimously through both the California Senate and Assembly, Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW) and other operators started to panic.
Through the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance, these operators then called on Gov. Newsom to veto the sweepstakes ban, calling the bill “incredibly disappointing” while claiming that it would “put California to the back of the line in terms of digital innovation in this space” and “immediately strip $1 billion out of the state’s economy.”
The plea fell on deaf ears, though, as Gov. Newsom signed Bill AB 831 into law at the start of October, marking the biggest blow to the sweepstakes gambling industry yet.
What’s the Deal with Sweepstakes Poker?
If you’ve spent any amount of time in the online poker world since 2020, you’ve almost certainly heard about — or potentially even played — sweepstakes poker. For those who haven’t, it’s a new type of online poker that’s risen to popularity thanks largely to Global Poker, which is the No.1 leading sweepstakes poker site on the market.
There are other options, too, such as Stake.us, which offers its exclusive Stake Poker game, but Global Poker is by far the most recognized name. When it comes to the actual gameplay side of sweepstakes poker, it’s exactly the same as regular poker, from the rules to the hand rankings.
What’s different, though, is that you don’t bet real money: instead, players use virtual ‘Gold Coins’ or ‘Sweeps Coins’. If you play sweepstakes poker with Gold Coins, you practically get unlimited access and can play for free as long as you like.
Those who decide to bet Sweeps Coins can potentially collect enough of them and then redeem those coins for prizes, which is ultimately the aim. Controversy stems from the fact that Sweeps Coins are a substitute for real cash, meaning sweepstakes sites are using a legal loophole.
This loophole has since led to Montana, Connecticut, New Jersey, Michigan, and most recently California all cracking down on sweepstakes gambling, as they believe these sites are unregulated and use a legal loophole that puts consumers at risk.
Sweepstakes Poker Will Remain Popular, But It Could Change in the Future
California might have decided to boot Global Poker and other sweepstakes gambling sites out of its state borders, but it’s not the end of the world. For now, at least, Global Poker will remain legal in 44 other states, and sweepstakes poker itself is still largely legal in most parts of the country.
Although sweepstakes poker has taken a major hit, it will still remain an excellent alternative for those wanting a low-risk way to play poker without betting real money, but just not in California.
