ClubWPT Gold Introduces California Game Days to Stay in the State

ClubWPT Gold (CWG) has announced significant changes to its operations in California to comply with the upcoming sweepstakes ban. Starting January 1, 2026, the platform will introduce "California Game Days," allowing players to win redeemable Chips for a maximum of nine days each month.

This move comes in response to California Governor Gavin Newsom signing AB 831 on October 11, 2025. The legislation bans online sweepstakes platforms using a "dual-currency system of payment." CWG has chosen to remain in California by adopting a training-first model, removing gold coins, introducing "hand analysis tokens," and rebranding sweeps coins as Chips.

Several competing sweepstakes poker platforms have announced their exits from the California market. Clubs Poker withdrew on December 29, with redemptions ending the same day. Global Poker and Stake Poker US are both set to exit on December 30, with Global Poker allowing redemptions through January 15, 2026. Stake US has yet to announce a final date for Sweeps Coin redemptions.