Once the calendar flipped to 2026, California’s sweepstakes casino ban officially became law. As a result, poker players in the Golden State lose a ton of options to play on the virtual felt.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 831 last October, banning sweepstakes casino platforms starting in 2026. However, one of the largest sweepstakes-style online poker rooms decided to continue operations.
Officials from ClubWPT Gold made two major changes to its business model before deciding to stay in California. But one legal expert believes the changes aren’t enough and California would have an easy time having the courts boot them from the state.
Despite Language, ClubWPT Gold Isn’t A Training Site
Last September, after the state legislature passed the bill, but before Newsom put his signature on it, ClubWPT altered its currency model. The bill outright banned the dual-currency model used by sweepstakes sites.
Consequently, ClubWPT Gold canned the dual-currency model and allowed players to purchase hand analysis credits. Those credits gave players “Chips” to use on the site to play hands. Then, they can use the credits to review hands with their hand analysis tools. Players can still redeem chips for cash and prizes.
The move positioned the site more closely to a poker training site rather than an online poker room. Just a month earlier, ClubWPT Gold purchased the Upswing Poker training site from Doug Polk. It allowed the company to quickly transition to the hand analysis model.
It’s an interesting pivot. But Bob Jarvis, a gambling law expert and professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, doesn’t think this move changes anything.
“With respect to ClubWPT Gold, I don’t think its two changes make them compliant with California’s new law,” he told Card Player this week. “Rebranding itself as a ‘poker training site’ is just a meaningless nomenclature change that any court will easily see through. Ditto for the move from ‘dual currency’ to ‘hand analysis credits.’ As the old saying goes, I can call myself the King of Siam, but that does not make me the King of Siam.”
The company disagrees. When ClubWPT Gold officials announced they were staying in California, they said the changes shielded it from the ban.
California Redemption Policy Isn’t ‘Occasional’
The currency change wasn’t the only attempt to adhere to California law. ClubWPT altered policy specifically for California players.
California-based players are subject to “California Game Days.” For the first nine days a Californian plays on the site, players can redeem all chips won in any tournament or cash game. After that, chips won will accrue as part of a player’s nonredeemable balance.
The change appears to be an attempt at a loophole for sweepstakes operators. The bill allows for “limited and occasional” sweepstakes models.
But once again, Jarvis believes their effort falls short of compliance.
“Limiting redemption days to nine days a month means that there are still 108 redemption days a year,” Jarvis said. “This clearly is not what the California Legislature had in mind when it exempted ‘limited and occasional’ sweepstakes. While there is no definition of these two terms in AB 831, a court will look to their common and ordinary meanings, as defined in a dictionary, and hold that an activity that takes place 30% of the time is not ‘limited and occasional.’”
2026 isn’t even a week old yet. Thus, there isn’t any legal action facing the online poker room. But if one comes, Jarvis thinks it ends with a clear-cut victory for the state.
“Lastly, if one lines up ClubWPT Gold and AB 831, it is obvious that the former is exactly what the latter is attempting to prohibit,” said Jarvis. “Indeed, I do not think it’s even a close or debatable argument, and I have no doubt that the courts will rule against ClubWPT Gold if there ever is a case.”
