As sweepstakes casinos come under attack by more and more state regulators, one major operator has made changes to its terms and conditions that essentially pull itself out of Pennsylvania.
As reported by The Closing Line, High 5 Casino notified customers that it “will be discontinuing service” in the Pennsylvania.
According to an email sent to customers of High 5, “(a)ll existing Pennsylvania player accounts will be permanently closed” by March 14.
All PA accounts will be closed in 4 weeks
Per the email to customers, High 5 no longer allows new Pennsylvania accounts and purchases as of Feb. 18. Less than four weeks later, all accounts will be closed.
As shared by The Closing Line, all existing players will have the ability to continue to play and redeem rewards with High 5 until March 14.
High 5 made it clear, however, that “(t)hese changes apply to Sweeps play only. Classic mobile play will continue to be available in Pennsylvania.”
With these updated terms and conditions, Pennsylvania joins the likes of six other states (all iGaming states) that did not previously appear where Sweeps Coin play will no longer be allowed, including nearby New Jersey.
Keeping an eye on NJ, too …
Speaking of New Jersey, such a move by High 5 comes on the heels of Garden State lawmakers filing a bill last month to regulate sweepstakes casinos.
An Assembly bill proposed details to license and tax sweeps gaming sites that more or less already operate outside of the state’s regulatory purview. If passed, the New Jersey bill would integrate such platforms within its oversight alongside its online casinos.
This proposal would require sweepstakes casinos to follow the same requirements as licensed iGaming operators, including setting an age limit of at least 21 years old to participate.
Interestingly, and on the heels of New Jersey’s proposal, High 5’s updates follow the trend of another prominent online sweepstakes casino operator.
High 5 follows in footsteps of VGW
VGW recently announced that it was raising its age limit for players from 18 to 21 years old, affecting customers of sites such as Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker. This change went into effect on Feb. 19.
Certainly, this is an attempt to boost responsible gaming efforts in the face of many states addressing the potential ban of sweepstakes casinos.
For VGW, the complete phase-out of under-21-year-old players will occur on April 17.
These moves from High 5 and VGW certainly show operators’ willingness to adjust to the changing landscape of online sweepstakes, especially as state regulators take aim at the determined “unregulated” market, classifying said sites as gambling operators.
Similarly, as concluded by The Closing Line, both VGW and High 5 differentiate themselves from the rest of the sweeps industry and potentially “force the rest” to follow suit.