VGW

VGW's own FAQ says the company was founded in 2010 by "gaming and technology entrepreneur Laurence Escalante". The Australian Business Register lists VGW Holdings Pty Ltd as an Australian private company, active since 1 Jan 2011, with the registered business name "Virtual Gaming Worlds" [3]. The footer of VGW's corporate website says it is owned and operated by VGW Holdings Pty Ltd.

VGW calls its model "Social Plus": games are free to play, Gold Coins can be bought, and sweepstakes promotions give out Sweeps Coins that can be redeemed for prizes. Its contact page names Perth as headquarters, and its careers page lists offices in Sydney, Toronto and Malta (Trident Park), plus remote roles.

On 3 Jul 2026 VGW announced that Escalante, its CEO, executive chairman and founder, had resigned. He had been on a leave of absence since January, and Mats Johnson has been Acting CEO since then. The same release puts VGW's headcount at 1,300. The executive page lists Tim Moore-Barton as Chief Operating Officer.

VGW also publishes Monopoly Match, a Match 3 mobile game made with Hasbro. VGW says it launched in the US in November 2025 and is for players 18 and over. It is an app-store game, and we do not review it here.

Every VGW sweepstakes brand splits the job in two. One company owns the site and takes payments for Gold Coins. VGW Games Limited sponsors the sweepstakes and holds the Malta Gaming Authority licence MGA/B2C/188/2010, which the terms date to 1 Aug 2018.

All four Maltese companies give the same registered address: Trident Park, Notabile Gardens, No. 6, Level 3, Central Business District, Mdina Road, Zone 2, Birkirkara CBD2010, Malta. The T&Cs also name VGW Luckyland Inc. and VGW Financial Services USA Inc. at 1881 9th Street, Suite 202, Boulder, Colorado, and VGW Canada Inc. in Toronto.

US court papers add more names. The Kentucky complaint sues VGW Holdings U.S. Inc., VGW U.S. Inc. and VGW Luckyland, Inc. (all described as Delaware corporations based in Boulder, with an office at 442 Post Street, Suite 900, San Francisco), plus VGW Ltd., VGW Holdings Pty Ltd, VGW Malta Ltd, VGW Malta Holding Limited and VGW Games Limited [6]. Maryland's 2025 letter went to VGW US, Inc. at that San Francisco address and to VGW Games Limited in Malta [4].

• Chumba Casino is VGW's oldest brand. New York says it was first offered to New Yorkers in 2012 [1]. Our review scores it 8.3/10.
• Global Poker is the poker brand, with cash games and tournaments plus slots and table games. New York dates it to 2016 [1]. Our score: 7.8/10.
• LuckyLand Casino is the newer LuckyLand brand and includes a social live casino. Its FAQ says it is a separate brand from LuckyLand Slots, not a rebrand, and that "it was LuckyLand Slots that closed in the US". Our score: 7.8/10.
• LuckyLand Slots reached New York in 2018 [1]. On 27 Oct 2026, the LuckyLand Slots address returned a 301 redirect to the LuckyLand Casino site. We have no separate review.

All three brands use the same two coins. Gold Coins are for fun play, can be bought, and have no prize value. Sweeps Coins come free with Gold Coin packages, as daily bonuses, or through the free entry route, and can be redeemed for prizes. In our reviews, 1 SC is worth $1 at all three brands.

The rules are close but not identical:

All three T&Cs say VGW may cap redemptions at USD 10,000 per day. In Florida, any prize from one spin or play is capped at USD 5,000. Cash prizes go back to the payment method you used to buy Gold Coins where possible. Gift cards go to the email address on your account. LuckyLand Casino's Sweeps Rules say Sweeps Coins expire 60 days after you last log in.

The New York settlement describes how the bundles worked there: a $5 purchase came with 5.05 Sweeps Coins and 1,000,000 Gold Coins, and a $50 purchase with 51.50 Sweeps Coins and 15,000,000 Gold Coins [1]. It describes the free route as a handwritten request mailed with a code from the website. In October 2026 our reviews found an online Entry Request instead.

The 16 Sep 2026 terms for all three brands use two state lists:

• No play at all, and Gold Coin purchases are voided and refunded (less a fee of up to 10%): Washington, Michigan, Montana, Connecticut, Nevada and Delaware.
• No Sweeps Coin play: those six, plus California, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Global Poker has one exception: Indiana players can still play peer-to-peer poker for Sweeps Coins. Maryland, Illinois and Kentucky are not on either list in the September 2026 documents, even though all three states have acted against VGW (see below). We have not seen VGW's replies to those states, so check the current Sweeps Rules before you play from there.

New York is the largest action so far. On 25 Apr 2025 the New York Attorney General warned VGW that most sweepstakes casinos are illegal in the state. VGW stopped offering Sweeps Coins to New York residents on 2 Jun 2025 and gave players until 1 Aug 2025 to redeem [1]. On 6 Jun 2025 the AG named Chumba, Global Poker and Luckyland among 26 platforms ending Sweeps Coin sales in New York. Governor Hochul signed S5925A on 5 Dec 2025, which says outright that the dual-coin model is unlawful in New York [1].

The Assurance of Discontinuance (No. 26-052) took effect on 31 Aug 2026, and the AG announced it on 9 Sep 2026. VGW Holdings Pty Ltd, VGW Luckyland Inc., VGW Malta Limited and VGW GP Limited agreed to pay $8 million in disgorgement, restitution, penalties and costs. They neither admit nor deny the findings [1] [2]. For one year, New Yorkers who held Sweeps Coins on 2 Jun 2025 and never got VGW's phase-out notice can ask to have them redeemed [1].

Other states:

• Connecticut: the Department of Consumer Protection sent a cease-and-desist letter dated February 2024. VGW left the state and told the trade outlet NEXT it "respectfully" disagreed with the department.
• Michigan and Delaware: The trade outlet NEXT reported a Michigan Gaming Control Board letter in January 2024 and a Delaware letter in February 2023. We have not seen either letter.
• Maryland: the Lottery and Gaming Control Agency wrote to VGW about Chumba Casino and Luckyland Slots on 12 Mar 2025 and asked for a reply by 27 Mar 2025 [4]. On 18 Nov 2025 the Commission sent Chumba Casino a cease-and-desist notice covering online poker, casino games and sweepstakes.
• Illinois: on 4 Feb 2026 the Illinois Gaming Board sent letters to Chumba Casino, Global Poker and LuckyLand Slots, demanding that they block Illinois residents or stop offering prizes [5]. It announced more than 60 letters the next day.
• Kentucky: on 17 Jun 2026 Attorney General Russell Coleman sued VGW in Franklin Circuit Court, under the state's consumer protection law, the Loss Recovery Act and its gambling laws [6]. The complaint is an allegation, not a ruling.
• Louisiana: the Gaming Control Board lists "VGW Holdings US, Inc., VGW Games, Ltd., and VGW Malta, Ltd." among operators sent cease-and-desist letters. The list has no date.

• Who runs LuckyLand. The New York Assurance says VGW Luckyland Inc. operates LuckyLand Slots. The LuckyLand Casino T&Cs say Beells Limited owns and operates LuckyLand Casino. These are two different brands, so both can be true, but older pages that say "LuckyLand Slots" may point to the wrong company.
• Headquarters. VGW names Perth as its headquarters. The Australian Business Register lists the main business location of VGW Holdings Pty Ltd as NSW 2000, which is Sydney.
• Boulder address. The T&Cs say Suite 202 at 1881 9th Street. The Kentucky complaint says Suite 2002.
• Acting CEO start date. The CEO update says Mats Johnson was appointed when the company learned of the matter in January 2026. The executive page says February 2026.
• Chumba minimum redemption. The Sweeps Rules say 100 SC. Our review found some Chumba Help Center pages that still say 10 SC for gift cards. We go by the Sweeps Rules.

If your state is eligible, the three active brands are Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Casino and Global Poker. Use the brand cards at the top of this page to read our reviews, and check the current Sweeps Rules for your state first. Visit Chumba Casino

Who owns Chumba Casino?

Are Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Casino and Global Poker sister sites?

Is LuckyLand Slots still open?

What was the New York settlement?

Which states can't play VGW sweepstakes?

Is VGW licensed in the US?