Stake Sued by LA City Attorney; Pragmatic Play Pulls Out of Sweeps Casinos

Pragmatic Play & Evolution Pull Games from Sweeps Casinos

In an absolute earthquake that is being felt throughout the sweepstakes casino industry, Pragmatic Play, possibly the leading game provider in the social casino sphere, has announced their exit from social casinos that offer sweepstakes games.

Additionally, Evolution has pulled their games from Stake.us, although it is still unclear if they are exiting all sweepstakes casino sites where they currently offering their products.

The news comes as both game providers were named in the recent lawsuit against Stake.us by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.

Slots provider Hacksaw was also named in the complaint, although there has been no update on their plans going forward.

Evolution and Hacksaw, both public companies that want to be in the regulated US market, have significant exposure here. Their inclusion is most likely an attempt to go after the weakest link.

There is already rampant speculation about Pragmatic Play's quick exit from sweepstakes casino play, as many observers believe that the quick action by the company may be an attempt to wash their hands now for a triumphant return to the regulated sites later.

That makes sense, as I remember well the aftermath of the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006. Although some providers hung in there after passage, Microgaming casinos fled the US market before the ink on George W. Bush's signature was dry.

The thought, at least at the time, was that the short-term pain was worth the long-term ability to re-enter a regulated US market in the future.

It is very possible that Pragmatic Play is making the same move.

So if you are a sweepstakes casino player and you love Sugar Rush, Gates of Olympus, and the Big Bass series of slots, you should probably head over to your favorite social casino now, because the Pragmatic Play casino games could disappear from your preferred site at any moment.