The popular sweepstakes-based poker site Global Poker has officially shut down all its offerings and services in the Connecticut online poker market. This decision came after legal pressure from the state’s Department of Consumer Protection, which began at the start of 2024.
In mid-September, Global Poker issued a notice to its Connecticut players, announcing its exit from the state’s online poker market. The notice advised all Connecticut residents to withdraw their funds before the shutdown.
Australian-based Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), operates Global Poker. In February 2024, VGW received a cease-and-desist notice from Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection. The notice accused Global Poker of offering online gambling to Connecticut residents without a license.
While Connecticut has authorized online gambling, no sites have yet received regulatory approval. It’s currently unclear whether VGW attempted to negotiate with Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection between February and September. Soon after notifying its Connecticut players, Global Poker added the state to its list of prohibited jurisdictions on September 16.
Connecticut is now the fifth U.S. state on Global Poker’s prohibited list, alongside Idaho, Michigan, Montana, and Nevada.
This move by Connecticut indicates that the state will no longer tolerate sweepstakes-based iGaming sites. Previously, it was reported that the World Poker Tour plans to launch a new sweepstakes-based poker site, ClubWPT Gold, in 2025. However, the platform is currently hosting several events for the $5 million Freeroll at the 2024 WPT World Championship. Given recent trends, Connecticut may ban ClubWPT Gold in the future.
The sweepstakes-based model is currently under scrutiny as the American Gaming Association (AGA) published a memo in late August, calling on authorities to crack down on sweepstakes-based iGaming sites that may be violating gaming laws. In that memo, they specifically mentioned VGW, the parent company of Global Poker, which is well regarded as one of the largest sweep-based model gaming platforms in the USA.
Keep following PokerProNews for the latest updates from the poker industry!
Source: Poker.Org
