ClubWPT Gold Pulls Out of New York as New Law Targets Dual-Currency Poker

The Law That Ended Sweepstakes in New York

This newly introduced statute bans both the operation and promotion of sweepstakes-style gaming where two currencies circulate, one purchased for fun, another redeemable for cash. With this ban, the New York State Gaming Commission broad has the authority to determine what qualifies, and introduces penalties of up to $100,000 per violation. In the real world, that means poker sites offering play-money coins bundled with cash-out tokens fall in the firing line.

Unlike other operators that staged their exits over several months, ClubWPT Gold’s left immediately. Players were locked out overnight without a grace period to redeem prizes. ClubWPT Gold now greets New Yorkers with a notice: no access from within the state. Balances can still be redeemed, but only if players physically log in from neighboring jurisdictions such as Pennsylvania or Massachusetts.

The Failed ClubWPT Gold Pivot

Ironically, ClubWPT Gold had already tried to future-proof itself. In September, the operator scrapped its traditional gold coins and sweeps coins and rebranded around “hand-analysis credits”, tokens marketed as poker-training tools. Those credits came packaged with chips that could still be used in real-money tournaments, which then keeps the cash-out element in place.

This coincided with ClubWPT Gold’s acquisition of Upswing Poker, Doug Polk’s long-standing training site. For New York regulators, the underlying structure hadn’t changed enough. As soon as New York’s law took effect, the site fell under the same restrictions as Global Poker and other dual-currency brands that had already left the market.

That leaves ClubWPT Gold in a complicated position heading into 2026. A similar law, California’s AB 831, comes into force on January 1, banning dual-currency sweepstakes statewide. Yet, in a move that contrasts with its New York retreat, ClubWPT Gold signaled it intends to stay in the Sunshine state.

For now, we’ll just have to wait for 2026 and see what happens.