Last week we reported on popular slots studio, Pragmatic Play pulling out of the sweepstakes casino vertical completely. It was thought to be in response to the civil enforcement suit filed by the Los Angeles City Attorney.
That filing named Stake.us, Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming, and Evolution as the defendants, and it’s caused more upheaval than the standard private sweeps lawsuits we’re used to seeing. That’s because it comes directly from a government office, giving the case far more legal weight. Plus, it targets a few high-profile companies all at once.
As a result, we’ve seen multiple sweepstakes market exits by game developers in one form or another over the last week. Let’s look at each one.
Skywind, Blueprint, and 24/7 Reels Withdraw Completely From Sweepstakes Casinos
It seems the Skywind Group, Blueprint, and 24/7 Reels have all followed Pragmatic in withdrawing from the sweepstakes format completely, despite not being named in the Stake.us suit.
While Skywind had a much smaller reputation and presence than Pragmatic Play in the US sweepstakes market, it still supplied games for big platforms like WOW Vegas, Fortune Coins, Zula Casino, and more.
We first heard of the Gibraltar-based company withdrawing from WOW Vegas last week, and upon checking, it seems no sweeps platform lists the company as a supplier anymore. Therefore, we’re assuming it’s pulled out of the sweeps format altogether.
Then we received a notification that Blueprint and 24/7 Reels are withdrawing from the vertical completely too, affecting game lobbies at the likes of Pulsz, Ace, and multiple B2-group casinos.
Blueprint is known for popular licensed slots such as The Goonies: Treasure King and Dumb and Dumber: Route To Riches; the company will now focus on its presence in real money casinos outside of the US.
24/7 Reels is a smaller studio that’s relatively unknown, but it’ll be taking its titles such as Crimson Hippo and Ebisu God of Fish out of the sweeps market as well.
Playtech Withdraws From Sweeps in California
Next, Playtech, creator of the Fire Blaze slot series, has withdrawn from sweepstakes casinos in California. In terms of the sweeps platforms Playtech supplies, there’s Spree plus various casinos from the B2 group, among others.
Headquartered in the Isle of Man, Playtech actually works across multiple formats including online casinos, poker rooms, bingo games, sports betting, and live dealer platforms. It has a presence in various US states supplying online casinos, maintaining partnerships with major operators like bet365, Boyd Interactive (Stardust Online Casinos), and MGM Resorts.
Unfortunately, sweeps players in California will no longer be able to access Playtech’s games, but residents of other states should still have access, at least for now.
Evolution Withdraws From Stake.us in Cali
If slots players aren’t familiar with Evolution, it’s likely they will know some of the company’s subsidiaries: NetEnt, Red Tiger, Big Time Gaming, and Nolimit City.
In total, these five studios are responsible for major slot hits like Bonanza, White Rabbit, and Mental, and you’ll find their games at sweeps sites such as Stake.us, SpeedSweeps, and PeakPlay.
Evolution was named in the Stake.us lawsuit, along with Pragmatic, but it hasn’t withdrawn from sweeps completely, just from Stake.us in California.
By the way, Evolution does supply real-money iGaming sites in the US too, but it seems the company is content to straddle real-money and sweeps sites for now.
Hacksaw Stays Put, For Now
Finally, Hacksaw Gaming – also named in the Stake.us lawsuit – has the bravest poker face of all, having not made any withdrawal announcements at all.
This slots developer, known for its Le series (Le Bandit, Le Pharaoh, Le Viking etc.), has a heavy presence within the sweeps vertical, and also works with various smaller studios via its OpenRGS system.
OpenRGS allows other studios to leverage Hacksaw’s platform to develop and distribute their games across multiple sweeps casinos, giving them quality slot engines and promotional reach, all under Hacksaw’s umbrella.
All things considered, Hacksaw is a vital player in the social casino vertical, and its decision to stay put since the Los Angeles lawsuit has left operators and competitors watching closely to see how it will navigate the coming weeks.
Hacksaw also supplies slots to real-money casinos in the US and globally. Overall, the company seems in a strong position, especially with the recent retreat of its main competitor, Pragmatic Play.
Final Notes
The next few weeks and months could be highly unpredictable. The civil enforcement suit could set new precedents, and we also have the future of sweepstakes in California hanging in the balance as we await the outcome of the anti-sweeps bill, AB831. Hacksaw’s usual confidence may be tested here.
As you can see, each developer has its own unique situation and exposures to consider, and there could well be a few more surprises before the year is out. We’ll keep you updated with any other developments.
Author: Joseph Allen
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