Blazesoft, the sweepstakes operator behind Zula and the YayCasino.us brands, is rolling out some major changes this summer.
Starting August 1, Zula will switch off promotional play in five states, while crypto casino Yay US will be shutting down completely, with players encouraged to move over to the fiat equivalent, YayCasino.com.
Zula Switches to GC Play-Only in CT, DE, MT, NV & NJ
The five states where Zula will now switch to free play only are:
- Delaware
- Connecticut
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
In these jurisdictions, Zula will essentially become a pure social casino. This move follows in the footsteps of Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), which has implemented something similar across multiple states for its Chumba, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker platforms.
To be clear, starting August 1, players in the five mentioned states will no longer be able to use Sweeps Coins to play games on Zula Casino, and mail-in requests for no-purchase-necessary Sweeps Coins from these states will no longer be accepted.
Anti-sweepstakes legislation is gaining traction in several states (in fact, it’s passed in four of the five above states this year), with Attorneys General and gaming regulators increasingly using cease and desist letters to target unlicensed operators. Essentially, many lawmakers and politicians view the sweepstakes casino model as something that should be banned.
In contrast, pure social casinos that offer only Gold Coin play avoid these legal challenges, which may explain why more operators are shifting in this direction. However, it remains to be seen whether these social-only states can generate sustainable profits.
YayCasino.us To Shut Down on September 1st
Blazesoft’s decision to completely close YayCasino.us is a little more opaque, though it could be inferred that the crypto-focused site wasn’t doing as well as its fiat counterpart, YayCasino.com. Players are being encouraged to move over to the latter, though they will have to sign up for a brand new account there.
YayCasino.us users should definitely take note of the following updates effective July 30:
- You will no longer be able to purchase Gold Coins from the Coin Store on YayCasino.us. However, you can continue playing games using your existing Gold Coin and Sweeps Coin balances until the migration date, September 1.
- All promotions tied to YayCasino.us, including daily login bonuses, game-related promotions, refer-a-friend bonuses, VIP rewards, and alternate methods of entry, have been discontinued. No further free Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins will be awarded through promotions.
- The minimum redemption requirement of 50 Sweeps Coins has been removed, allowing you to redeem your entire Sweeps Coin balance with no minimum until the migration date. After September 1, any remaining Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins will be forfeited.
To reiterate, for those at YayCasino.us, registering a new account on YayCasino.com will be necessary to continue playing after September 1.
As Blazesoft navigates these market challenges, players should stay informed through official channels and reach out to customer support with any questions.
The company’s two other brands, Sportzino and Fortune Coins, have had no updates announced as of yet. That being said, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the changes at Zula reflected in the near future, as operators generally like to maintain consistency across brands.
Author: Joseph Allen
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