button in SafariPopular ClubWPT Gold Online Poker Site Pulls Out of Nevada
Nevada online poker players were dealt some bad cards on Thursday when ClubWPT Gold announced the poker site is pulling out of the state.
ClubWPT Gold, which uses a sweepstakes-based model loophole to operate in 42 states (41 now), sent Nevada players an email that likely didn't sit well, which read:
"As part of changes to our operations in response to state regulatory action, ClubWPT Gold will be winding down services in Nevada."
Players in the Silver State can no longer make "purchases" (deposits), but can still enter poker games until midnight on Sept. 28. The poker site encourages players to "redeem" (withdraw) any account balances left by Oct. 2.
Big Loss for Online Poker Community?
ClubWPT Gold has made a huge splash in Nevada the past couple of years, so pulling out of the state will have a drastic effect on many pros and recreational players. Not only did the World Poker Tour host a $5 million ClubWPT Gold Invitational Freeroll at the 2024 WPT World Championship, ClubWPT Gold stirred the pot at the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) by offering a $1 million bonus to any lucky gold ticket winners from the poker site who won a bracelet.
Two gold ticket winners actually did go on to win a bracelet — Jesse Yaginuma and Michael Lavin. But the promotion ended up causing Yaginuma and James Carroll to get banned for life from the WSOP after they were found to have chip dumped during heads-up play at the Millionaire Maker final table. As such, players were not permitted to wear any ClubWPT Gold patches at the 2026 WSOP.
But the sweeps-based site has become a major player in the Nevada online poker industry, competing with the only traditional and licensed poker site in the state, WSOP Online. There are thousands of ClubWPT Gold players in Nevada, including some top pros.
ClubWPT Gold has some high-profile ambassadors such as Phil Ivey, Doug Polk, and Ethan "Rampage" Yau. The site offers some of the largest daily guarantees you'll find in U.S. online poker, not to mention the nearly bi-weekly $218 buy-in Gold Million, a $1 million guaranteed tournament (1,000,000 chips).
The WPT will host a $400 Super Gold Million in December at the 2026 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas, a $3 million guaranteed tournament. It's unclear what impact the Nevada ban will have on the daily prize pool guarantees on ClubWPT Gold, or if any changes will be made to the major live event at Wynn.
But one thing is certain, and that is this is a devastating blow to the Nevada online poker industry, and the poker community as a whole. The good news for those who play on Gold in Nevada, there is a legal option (WSOP Online) available, or they can travel to a nearby state (not Arizona though) to play on Gold.
ClubWPT Gold uses a sweepstakes model and players don't technically purchase casino chips. Instead, they buy poker hand analysis and are given free chips as part of the package deal to use to play poker. One chip is worth one dollar when it comes to cashing out.
