VGW's Chumba and Global Poker Still Run in Arizona Despite 2024 Shutdown Order

Arizona's Department of Gaming ordered VGW Holdings to stop offering Chumba Casino, Global Poker, and LuckyLand Slots to state residents in late 2024, rejecting the company's argument that free-to-play sweepstakes aren't gambling. Nearly two years later, according to an October 23, 2026 report from Covers.com, VGW is still operating in Arizona, and the state has yet to file a single civil or criminal charge against it.

A Department of Gaming spokesperson, Jessica Roza, told Covers.com the state still considers VGW's Arizona activity illegal and is assessing further enforcement options, while the Arizona Attorney General's Office pointed to VGW's overseas headquarters in Australia as a practical obstacle to prosecution. VGW itself didn't address why it has kept operating in the state despite the order.

The report also details political giving that puts the enforcement gap in a less flattering light: VGW and its Luckyland affiliate have given more than $200,000 combined to groups tied to Arizona's Democratic governor, Katie Hobbs, and Attorney General Kris Mayes, while separately funding Republican legislative campaign groups with $140,000 and a group backing Mayes's 2026 opponent, Warren Petersen, with $10,000. A VGW spokesperson, Michael Bennet, said the company believes it has complied with applicable law.

LuckyLand Slots - one of the three brands named in Arizona's original order - shut down company-wide in September 2026 for reasons unrelated to Arizona specifically, which we covered at the time. Chumba Casino and Global Poker, VGW's two remaining brands, are the ones still active in the state today. Chumba Casino is listed on this site without an affiliate relationship, and Global Poker isn't one we currently cover - we'll keep watching whether Arizona's enforcement posture changes.