ClubWPT Gold stops operations in Tennessee ahead of sweeps ban

With a sweepstakes ban nearing the finish line in Tennessee, ClubWPT Gold told players there that May 6 was their last day to access games.

“Due to recent legislative developments in Tennessee, including SB 2136, access to ClubWPT Gold will be limited for customers located within the state,” the operator’s explanation said.

ClubWPT Gold cut off account funding for Tennessee players on May 2. Gameplay ended on May 6. ClubWPT Gold noted that players can still redeem their balances.

Tennessee is now the seventh state to appear on the list of restricted territories for ClubWPT Gold.

The Tennessee exit follows in the footsteps of other operators who left at the behest of cease-and-desist letters. Where other states have often stopped at cease-and-desist orders, deeming them sufficient deterrents, Tennessee still pursued legislative action.

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Tennessee’s Sweeps Ban is Close to Passing

Senate Bill 2136 is sponsored by State Sens. Paul Rose and Ferrell Haile. It notes that a growing problem in Tennessee is access to “illegal online sweepstakes casinos and other forms of online gambling that are often marketed as legal, free-to-play, social gaming platforms and that utilize a promotional sweepstakes model.

“…such online sweepstakes casinos generally constitute illegal lotteries and violate Tennessee gambling and consumer protection laws, and there exists the need to clarify for the public that such online sweepstakes casinos are expressly illegal.”

It appeared to stall out for a bit after passing the Senate unanimously, 32-0, in March. The House and Senate struggled to concur on the final language in April. Ultimately, a cross-chamber committee came to enough of a consensus to pass it. On April 30, it was signed and sent to the governor’s desk for approval. That’s the final step before it becomes law.

Tennessee Becomes Seventh State on ClubWPT Gold’s Restriction List

ClubWPT Gold’s restricted list now extends to these seven states:

• Washington

• New Jersey

• Louisiana

• Connecticut

• Michigan

• Montana

• Tennessee

It still remains accessible for much of the country, but that’s little comfort to Tennessee poker players. Many reacted poorly to the news in the Reddit thread discussing the state ban.

“Man, seriously f*** this country,” one user said. “Open sports betting, prediction markets, all sorts of pure luck or insider traded nonsense but online poker is a step too far.”

Other sarcastically noted that if the Trump family were benefiting financially from online poker, as they are from prediction markets, everyone would retain access to ClubWPT Gold.

Tennessee poker players said that Clubs Poker is their only remaining outlet for sweepstakes play. Global Poker was forced to exit after the cease-and-desists because of parent company VGW Holdings’ ownership of prominent sweepstakes casinos. At the time, PokerScout speculated that Clubs Poker and ClubWPT Gold would escape scrutiny because of their lack of similar associations.

However, Tennessee looks to finally be shutting the door on sweepstakes poker for good.

ClubWPT Gold’s Inconsistent Reaction to Sweeps Bans

If it seems obvious that ClubWPT Gold would exit the state following a ban on sweepstakes operators, well, it’s less clear than it may seem.

In some states, such as Tennessee and New York, it has quickly complied with sweepstakes bans. However, even in New York, it quickly returned to the state, reversing course on its exit.

Part of the answer may lie in its ability to point to bans on “dual-currency” systems. Many states explicitly mention the banning of dual currency in their legislative actions. California is among them. ClubWPT Gold seems to believe that a switch to purchasing “Hand Analysis Credits” in exchange for Chips positions the operator on the right side of the law, since it can say it’s a poker training site rather than a real-money poker site.

Tennessee, though, was a bit broader with its language. It uses the term “virtual-currency system” and targets sites:

• …allowing a player to: (i) Play or participate with a currency, such as a virtual coin, token, or other representation of value, that is directly purchased, received through a bonus or promotion, or received for free with the purchase of another type of currency or related product, service, or activity

• Exchange the currency for a prize, award, cash, or cash equivalent, or the chance to win a prize, award, cash, or cash equivalent

That description appears to match the ClubWPT Gold business model. Perhaps WPT brass simply feels there’s no ground to stand on here. And since Tennessee’s population is a fraction of California’s (about 7 million compared to almost 40 million), the juice may not be worth the squeeze anyway.

Image credit: Brian Stansberry/Wikimedia Commons (license)

Mo Nuwwarah

Deputy Editor

Mo has been reporting on the poker industry since 2013, excepting a foray into the sports betting space from 2021-2025. He's a regular in live tournaments and cash games at buy-in levels around $400-$2,000.