Global Poker Increases Minimum Player Age
Virtual Gaming Worlds — VGW — has increased the minimum player age for Global Poker.
Anyone looking to create an account on the popular social poker site must now be aged 21 or over. In the past, you only had to be 18. This marks a fresh change for the operator.
Unsurprisingly, VGW has also increased the minimum age for Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots, too. Anyone under the age of 21 will now no longer be allowed to play on any of these three sites — so why did they make this decision?
Global Poker Increases Player Age to 21 In Response to Growing Sweepstakes Scrutiny
The decision by VGW to increase Global Poker’s player age to 21 comes following the increased scrutiny surrounding social and sweepstakes gambling sites.
As an online poker player yourself, you probably know by now that social casinos and sweepstakes casinos have exploded in popularity. The trend first started back in 2020 — when the COVID-19 pandemic struck — and it hasn’t slowed down since. It’s now reached a point where millions of players have signed up with these new types of sites, with Global Poker being one of the industry leaders.
✔ Sweepstakes casinos are projected to generate $12.1 billion by 2031
✔ The number of sweepstakes sites is expected to double over the next 2 years
In a nutshell, because players are using virtual coins — not real money — it means Global Poker isn’t technically classed as a gambling site in the eyes of state lawmakers. As a result, Global Poker has been allowed to operate in almost every US state for a while now, making it super accessible and easy for players to create accounts.
However, sweepstakes casinos are now facing harsh legal scrutiny from state lawmakers and regulators. Just recently, High 5 — another popular sweepstakes casino — lost a huge lawsuit in Washington state. It concluded with the federal jury awarding $25 million in damages to players, sending shockwaves through the industry and serving as a warning sign for many of the other active sweeps casinos on the market, including Global Poker.
In response to the ongoing scrutiny, VGW made the call to increase the minimum player age from 18 to 21 for Global Poker, Chumba Casino, and LuckyLand Slots. Despite the fact it’s caused some controversy, industry expert Jon from SweepsKings says the move is a positive one:
“This is an interesting move from VGW. By slamming the door shut on their existing players aged under 21, they’ll lose a ton of revenue in the short-term. However, the benefit is that VGW gets to future-proof itself against potential changes to the law in the future. And at the same time, it means only mature players will now be able to sign-up with the site, creating a safer environment for everyone.”
Global Poker’s New Minimum Age Requirement Came Into Play On February 12th
With Global Poker specifically, players were given warnings earlier this year that the minimum player age was going to increase from 18 to 21. The change officially came into play on February 12th, reflected in the site’s now updated terms and conditions. What this means is that anyone below 21 can no longer create an account on Global Poker. And if you already have an existing account but are under the age of 21, you have until April 17 to redeem any of your remaining Sweeps Coins for prizes.
What’s Next for Global Poker?
For now, Global Poker will continue to dominate the social poker market, even though it’s set to lose a large portion of its player base. If new laws are introduced in the future, VGW will then have to adapt fast. But for now, Global Poker is still a perfectly legal site and will maintain its advantage over traditional online poker sites, which still have to follow long-standing gambling laws and regulations.