VGW is pulling its Chumba Casino and Global Poker brands out of Canada.
The company has decided that business in The Great White North just isn’t popular enough to maintain its presence there.
Canadian players should have already received an email detailing VGW’s exit plan, but we’ll repeat the main dates to note here:
- Aug. 28: Gold Coin purchases will be discontinued. Players can continue using any existing Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins in their accounts.
- Sept. 25: Gameplay will shut down. After this date, players may only redeem leftover Sweeps Coins for prizes.
- Oct. 23: The redemption window closes, and access to Chumba Casino and Global Poker will end permanently.
The email also touched on what will happen with players’ personal data:
“From October 23, your account will be inaccessible and the personal data associated with your account will be retained to the extent required to meet our legal obligations. We take privacy and data protection seriously, and we will handle your information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.”
Chumba, owned by the Australia-based VGW, is the original sweeps casino launched in 2012, and many other brands have followed in its footsteps since. VGW also added Global Poker to its roster in 2016. The company’s third brand, LuckyLand Slots, wasn’t available in Canada in the first place, if you’re wondering.
VGW’s Reason for Leaving Canada
The recent email sent to Canadian players touched on the reason for pulling out:
“Ultimately, this is a difficult but strategic, isolated decision. Our Canadian business is relatively small, as the vast majority of our players reside in the larger US market, where we will concentrate our management focus, resources and investment going forward.”
So it seems this was a financial decision, rather than being driven by any legal developments in Canada.
That said, legal reasons have been the driving factor in many US state withdrawals of late. For example, VGW withdrew from offering SC-play in New Jersey and Mississippi only last month, and perhaps maintaining operations in various US states is what the company wants to focus on right now.
VGW’s right to offer sweepstakes gaming – along with the whole of the sweepstakes industry – hangs in the balance in some jurisdictions, with California and New York being the major focus currently.
Laurence Escalante, CEO of VGW has positioned his company as central to the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA), a trade group that’s campaigning to stem the flow of anti-sweeps legislation – that is no doubt taking up more of the company’s time and resources than before.
Chumba Sweepstakes Casino Alternatives in Canada
Many US sweepstakes casinos still offer their platform north of the border, so there are certainly options for players who need a new place to play.
We go through what’s available in our detailed Canada sweepstakes casinos guide, but we’ll list some great choices here:
- 2000+ slots, fish & scratch games
- High Rolla VIP program
- Big discounts on coin packages
- Paris Hilton ambassador
- Slots, live, jackpots, and bingo
- Evolution Gaming partner
- Slots and live game shows
- Available in 40+ states
- iOS app
- Quality & diverse games
- 1 Free SC every day
- Legal in 43 States
- Jackpot network
- iOS and Android apps
- 1,000 slots and live dealer games
- 10+ fish games
- Native app available
- Exclusive 10 Free SC bonus
- Three virtual currencies
- 15+ banking methods
- Unique gaming elements
Many of the above choices actually beat out Chumba in terms of welcome bonus, game selection, and other factors – it could be a great time to find your new favorite Canada-friendly sweeps casino!
Currently, with the exception of Quebec, most provinces do not restrict access to sweeps casinos. In a similar way to the US, Canada’s individual provinces govern what’s permissible or not when it comes to gaming.
Just remember: as per the email from Chumba, the window for redemption closes for good on October 23, so if you are an existing player and a Canadian resident, we urge you to process any redemptions as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Author: Joseph Allen
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