In a statement released to Sweepsy, VGW — the sweepstakes gaming operator behind industry-leading brands Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker — explained its motivations for increasing its minimum age limit from 18 to 21.
A VGW spokesperson said the decision came “as part of our commitment to best-in-class responsible social gameplay.”
“We view ourselves as an RSG leader, and take this incredibly seriously, employing a team of industry experts, to ensure our games are enjoyed in a fun, healthy way,” the spokesperson told Sweepsy.
“Our goal is to exceed industry standards and we offer our players a variety of readily available tools to aid in regulating their play, such as purchase limits, and options to permanently close their account, take a break or set account self-exclusion.”
VGW increasing age limit to 21 could make others follow suit
VGW began to roll out its new minimum age requirement changes on Feb. 12.
On that day, players on VGW sites who were 18-20 could no longer make Gold Coin package purchases, but they could still play using whatever game currency remained in their account.
Then, on Feb. 19, players who were 18, 19, or 20 years old were no longer permitted to access any games on Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, or Global Poker, even when playing with Gold Coins. They were also restricted from redeeming Sweeps Coins.
Finally, on April 17, players aged 18-20 will no longer have access to VGW sites and will be locked out until they reach 21. Once they turn 21, they must contact support to regain access to their account, as it will not be restored automatically.
VGW wasn’t the first to make its minimum age limit 21. (High 5 Casino and Stake.us were already 21-plus, for instance.) But it is arguably the most notable. Chumba Casino is probably the sweepstakes casino space’s top brand, and Global Poker leads the sweeps poker market.
The move to 21-plus is certainly eye-catching and could lead other sweeps operators to follow suit. Other responsible social gameplay features of VGW sites include:
- Activity reminders (which can be set for every 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes)
- Purchase limits, play amount limits, and daily time limits
- Taking a Break (Tab) with options of one, three, seven, 14, or 30 days
- Self-exclusion
- Self-assessment
- Information on various support organizations and sites where parents can set internet access limits for their children — “We recommend that you restrict their access to our Platform by using one of the below services,” reads that portion of VGW’s RSG Policy, which can be accessed in the footer menu of its sites
“This change to 21-plus is just the latest in the many initiatives reflecting our continuous commitment to providing a responsible and positive player experience,” the VGW spokesperson said.
Not many players younger than 21 anyway
A recent Sweepsy survey of sweepstakes players in Texas indicates VGW won’t be missing out on too much revenue by cutting off access for 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds.
Our survey was only conducted on respondents 21 and older. But only 7% of the respondents were in their 20s. Meanwhile, 24.8% were in their 30s, 26.8% were in their 40s, 20.8% were in their 50s, and 19.4% were 60 or older.
So the sweeps demographic skews toward middle age.
That’s why, from an industry standpoint, going to 21-plus makes a lot of sense for VGW.
Now more than ever — as states continue to introduce bills to ban sweeps sites (hello, New York) and the American Gaming Association president mentions sweeps sites in the same breath as offshore betting sites — is a time for sweepstakes gaming operators to put responsible gaming at the forefront of their decision-making.
Even if the 18-20 age group did contribute a significant chunk of revenue, it still might be advisable for these operators to eat short-term revenue loss for long-term benefits of showing lawmakers and policy influencers they take responsible gaming seriously.
And it’s an even easier decision knowing just how little activity these sites get from 18-20-year-olds, compared to other age groups.