A sweepstakes poker room, not a licensed one - and its state map is shrinking
Visit Global Poker →Global Poker welcome bonus in United States
Context for United States: The United States regulates online gambling state by state, not nationally, so an offer on this page is only claimable if you are physically located in a state where that operator holds a licence - most US states license no online casino or poker at all. Check the state, not the country. The Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement lets state-regulated poker operators pool players across state lines; as of April 2026 its members are Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Nevada also requires an online operator to partner with an in-state casino, keeping its poker market small. SWEEPSTAKES CASINOS ARE A SEPARATE, RAPIDLY CLOSING CATEGORY: dual-currency sites (Gold Coins to play, Sweeps Coins redeemable for cash) are being banned outright, not regulated, in a growing list of states including Montana, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, California, Nevada, Maine, Indiana and Oklahoma. Sources disagree on the exact total, so check your own state rather than any single figure - and note these laws can reach payment processors and affiliates too, not just the operator.
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Before you sign up: the sweepstakes model is being banned state by state
This is a sweepstakes site, not a licensed real-money casino. It runs the dual-currency model - Gold Coins for play, Sweeps Coins redeemable for prizes - which operated for years in a legal grey area because no regulator had addressed it directly. That has changed.
Eight US states had banned sweepstakes casinos outright by mid-2026 - though sources disagree on exactly which eight, which tells you how fast this is moving. One list gives Montana, Nevada, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, California, Indiana and Maine; another gives California, Connecticut, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Treat both as indicative and check your own state. California ended on 1 January 2026 under AB 831 - reportedly removing about a fifth of national revenue across the segment - and Indiana under House Bill 1052 from 1 July 2026. Enforcement is active elsewhere: the Illinois Gaming Board and Attorney General sent cease-and-desist letters to 65 sweepstakes operators, Tennessee's Attorney General wrote to nearly 40 in December 2025, and Kentucky's Attorney General has sued VGW over Chumba Casino, Global Poker and LuckyLand Slots.
Practical consequences for you: a site lawful where you live today may withdraw from your state at short notice, cash redemption is often disabled state by state before a full exit, and a sweepstakes operator is not covered by the licensing protections a state-regulated casino must provide. Check the operator's current state list before you buy anything.
Pros
- Running since 2016 under a named owner, VGW Group, rather than an anonymous operation
- The largest sweepstakes poker room, so peer-to-peer games actually run
- Reaches players in states that license no real-money online poker at all
- 100,000 Gold Coins and 5 Sweeps Coins on sign-up with genuinely no purchase required
- Poker sweepstakes have been exempted from some state bans, including Indiana's HB 1052
Cons
- Not licensed by any US state gambling regulator - you have no state authority to appeal to
- Restricted outright in Washington, Connecticut, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Delaware and Idaho
- Cash redemption disabled in Tennessee, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia and New York
- Exited New York in 2025; California ended 1 January 2026 under AB 831
- Named by the Illinois Gaming Board and Attorney General among 65 operators sent cease-and-desist letters
- Kentucky's Attorney General is suing its owner VGW over this brand
- Eight states had banned the sweepstakes model outright by mid-2026, and the list keeps growing
- State availability changes so often that any figure, including ours, ages quickly
Our verdict
Global Poker is the biggest sweepstakes poker room in the United States, has run since 2016 under a named owner, and in states with no licensed online poker it is one of the few ways to get a real game. Those are genuine points, and so is this one: poker sweepstakes have been carved out of some state bans, Indiana's included, which suggests regulators view peer-to-peer poker differently from casino-style sweepstakes. But understand what you would be joining. This is not a state-licensed poker room. VGW's Malta licence governs nothing about your state, no US gambling regulator supervises it, and the ground is moving fast: restricted in seven states, cut to Gold Coin play with no cash redemption in seven more, gone from New York since 2025 and California since January 2026, named by Illinois among 65 cease-and-desist recipients, and its owner sued by Kentucky's Attorney General. Eight states have banned the model outright. Our previous review gave this 7.2 from one source and mentioned none of it. If you play, treat redemption as something that could stop where you live at short notice, and do not stockpile coins.
How we rated it
Poker & liquidity (30%)7
A long-established sweepstakes poker room - running since 2016 - and the largest of its kind, which for a peer-to-peer game means games that actually run. It reaches players in states where licensed real-money poker does not exist at all, which is its genuine reason to exist.
Bonuses & value (20%)6.5
100,000 Gold Coins plus 5 Sweeps Coins on account creation, with no purchase required, is a real no-cost entry. But value depends on redemption, and redemption is exactly what several states have switched off - in those states the Sweeps Coins half of the offer is worth nothing to you.
Payments & payouts (20%)5
Cash redemption is the whole point of Sweeps Coins and it has been disabled state by state - Tennessee, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia and New York are reported as Gold Coin only. A prize route that your state can switch off is not a payout method you can rely on.
Trust & licensing (30%)4.5
Cut hard. VGW is a named, established company with a Malta licence, and poker sweepstakes have been carved out of some bans - both count in its favour. But it is not licensed by any US state regulator, eight states have banned the model outright, Illinois named it in 65 cease-and-desist letters, and Kentucky's Attorney General is suing VGW over it. You have no state gambling regulator to appeal to.
Quick facts
| What it actually is | A SWEEPSTAKES poker site - Gold Coins to play, Sweeps Coins redeemable for prizes - not a state-licensed real-money poker room |
| Owner | VGW Group, Australian, headquartered in Ta'Xbiex, Malta; running Global Poker since 2016 |
| Malta licence | Held by VGW - but a Malta licence does not determine whether you may lawfully play from your US state |
| RESTRICTED STATES | Washington, Connecticut, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Delaware and Idaho |
| GOLD COIN ONLY - NO CASH REDEMPTION | Tennessee, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia and New York |
| Exits | Left New York in 2025; California ended 1 January 2026 under AB 831 |
| Eight states banned the model outright by mid-2026 | Montana, Nevada, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, California, Indiana and Maine |
| Enforcement naming it | The Illinois Gaming Board and Attorney General sent cease-and-desist letters to 65 sweepstakes operators including Global Poker |
| Litigation | Kentucky's Attorney General has sued VGW over Global Poker, Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots |
| A point in its favour | Poker-specific sweepstakes, including Global Poker and ClubWPT Gold, have been exempted from some bans - Indiana's HB 1052 among them |
| Sign-up | 100,000 Gold Coins plus 5 Sweeps Coins on account creation, no purchase necessary, no promo code |
| Availability figures age fast | One source says 42 states; the map changes constantly, so check the operator's own current list |
18+. Play responsibly. A SWEEPSTAKES site owned by VGW Group (Australian, headquartered Ta'Xbiex, Malta) - Gold Coins for play, Sweeps Coins redeemable for prizes. NOT LICENSED BY ANY US STATE GAMBLING REGULATOR; VGW's Malta licence does not determine US state legality. Reported restricted in Washington, Connecticut, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Delaware and Idaho, and limited to Gold Coin play with no cash redemption in Tennessee, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia and New York; exited New York 2025 and California 1 January 2026 under AB 831. The Illinois Gaming Board and Attorney General named it among 65 cease-and-desist recipients and Kentucky's Attorney General has sued VGW over it. State availability changes constantly - check the operator's own current list.
How we verified this
Global Poker is owned by VGW Group (Australian, headquartered Ta'Xbiex, Malta), operating since 2016 with a Malta Gaming Authority licence - which does not determine US state legality. It is a SWEEPSTAKES site using Gold Coins and redeemable Sweeps Coins, not a licensed real-money poker room. Reported as restricted in Washington, Connecticut, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Delaware and Idaho, and limited to Gold Coin play with no cash redemption in Tennessee, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia and New York; it exited New York in 2025 and California ended 1 January 2026 under AB 831. The Illinois Gaming Board and AG named it among 65 operators issued cease-and-desist letters, and Kentucky's AG has sued VGW over it. Poker-specific sweepstakes have been exempted from some bans, including Indiana's HB 1052. State availability changes constantly - verify on the operator's own site.
Where Global Poker is licensed
Global Poker appears on the official register in 1 countries. Highlighted countries have a full local review — pick yours for its welcome bonus and licence details.
North America (1)
About Global Poker
Global Poker is a sweepstakes poker site owned by VGW Group, an Australian company headquartered in Ta'Xbiex, Malta, which has run it since 2016. The distinction that matters is what 'sweepstakes' means: you are not playing at a state-licensed real-money poker room. You buy Gold Coins for play and receive Sweeps Coins that can be redeemed for prizes - a dual-currency structure that worked for years because no US regulator had directly addressed it. VGW holds a Malta Gaming Authority licence, but that governs nothing about whether you may lawfully play from Ohio or Texas. Regulators have now addressed the model, and the map is shrinking. Global Poker is reported as restricted in Washington, Connecticut, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Delaware and Idaho. In Tennessee, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia and New York it is limited to Gold Coin play with no cash redemption - which removes the only part most players care about. It left New York in 2025, and California ended on 1 January 2026 under AB 831. Eight states had banned sweepstakes casinos outright by mid-2026. Enforcement is not theoretical: the Illinois Gaming Board and Attorney General named Global Poker among 65 operators sent cease-and-desist letters, and Kentucky's Attorney General has sued VGW over it alongside Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots. There is a real point in its favour, and it deserves stating: poker-specific sweepstakes products, Global Poker and ClubWPT Gold among them, have been carved out of some state bans, including Indiana's, which suggests regulators see peer-to-peer poker differently from casino-style sweepstakes. And in states with no licensed online poker at all, this is one of very few ways to get a game. Just understand what you are signing up to: no state regulator stands behind it, and the redemption route can be switched off where you live at short notice.
Global Poker FAQ
Is Global Poker legal where I live?
That depends entirely on your state, and the answer is changing month to month. It is reported as restricted in Washington, Connecticut, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Delaware and Idaho, and limited to Gold Coin play with no cash redemption in Tennessee, California, Louisiana, New Jersey, Mississippi, West Virginia and New York. It left New York in 2025 and California ended on 1 January 2026 under AB 831. Check the operator's own current state list rather than any review, ours included.
Is it a real poker site?
It is a real poker room in the sense that you play actual poker against other people. It is not a state-licensed real-money site. It runs the sweepstakes model: Gold Coins for play, Sweeps Coins redeemable for prizes. VGW holds a Malta Gaming Authority licence, but no US state regulator licenses or supervises it, so if something goes wrong there is no state gambling authority to complain to.
What is happening to sweepstakes sites generally?
They are being banned state by state. Eight states had outlawed the model outright by mid-2026 - Montana, Nevada, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, California, Indiana and Maine. The Illinois Gaming Board and Attorney General sent cease-and-desist letters to 65 operators including this one, Tennessee's Attorney General wrote to nearly 40 in December 2025, and Kentucky's Attorney General has sued VGW. The dual-currency model survived because it was unaddressed in law; once regulators addressed it, that argument collapsed.
Is there anything good about its position?
Yes, and we will not pretend otherwise. Poker-specific sweepstakes products - Global Poker and ClubWPT Gold among them - have been carved out of some state bans, including Indiana's HB 1052, which suggests regulators distinguish peer-to-peer poker from casino-style sweepstakes games. And in states with no licensed online poker whatsoever, this is one of the only ways to get a real game.
Can I actually get money out?
Where cash redemption is permitted, yes - that is what Sweeps Coins are for. But several states have been cut back to Gold Coin play only, which means play continues while redemption stops. Treat the ability to redeem as something your state can remove at short notice, and do not buy Gold Coins on the assumption that redemption will still be available later.
Why did your rating drop?
It was 7.2 from a single source and described the sign-up bonus without mentioning that the model it runs on is being banned across the country. Trust falls from the old score to 4.5 and payments to 5.0, because a redemption route your state can switch off is not a reliable payout method. It now sits at 5.9.