If you’re a fan of social casinos, then you’ve probably heard the name VGW before. Australian-based Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW) was founded in 2010 by Laurence Escalante to create an ultimate gaming paradise where players could enjoy tons of casino and exciting arcade games for free.
Fast forward to today, the company owns and operates several popular sweepstakes casinos, including Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots, and even develops its own casino games. While overall, VGW casinos and games are some of the best in the industry, just like any other casino or software provider, it does have a few shortcomings.
Keep reading my extensive VGW casinos & games review to learn more about the company itself, its different social casinos, as well as the best casino games by VGW you can play today for endless entertainment!
What Is VGW Holdings?
VGW Holdings Ltd is the parent company for all VGW casinos and games. It’s a global game developer and social casino operator with several physical locations, including its headquarters in Perth, Australia. VGW Holdings was established by entrepreneur Laurence Escalante in 2010 to develop top-notch slots and casino-style games.
You can find more info about VGW Holdings Limited in the table below:
| 🏢VGW Holdings Limited | |
|---|---|
| 🌐Website | www.vgw.co |
| 📅Established | 2010 |
| 🏛️Owner | Laurence Escalante |
| 📮Headquarters | 15-17 William Street Level 11 Perth, WA 6000, AU |
| 👨Employees | 501-1,000 |
| 💵Value | $3.7bn |
| 🎰Casinos | Chumba Casino, Global Poker, LuckyLand Slots, VGW Play |
| 🎲Games | Cascade Beats, Stampede Fury, Mariachi Magnifico, Fu Qian Qian, The Last Empress |
| 📜License | Malta Gaming Authority, License Number: MGA/B2C/188/2010 |
What Casinos Does VGW Own?
VGW originally started as a software developer, which aimed to create free casino games and exciting arcade games. It later evolved into a social casino operator with several popular sweepstakes casinos under its umbrella. In addition to its social casinos, VGW owns a few platforms dedicated to popular casino games. Some of them, like Scratch Carnival and Fend Off Sports, did not perform so well and had to shut down. Others, such as the Global Poker platform, are still going strong, with tons of new players signing up every day.
Chumba Casino
Chumba Casino is the oldest and most popular sweepstakes casino owned by VGW Holdings. The platform was founded in 2012 and was one of the first to offer slots and casino-style games for free to US residents. For that reason, it’s one of the more well-known sweepstakes casinos across the USA.
The Chumba Casino social casino features a decent selection of 100+ free games to enjoy, including slots, table games like blackjack, and other casino games, such as video poker. Apart from the in-house games developed by VGW, the casino offers slots and games from other top providers, like NetEnt, Playtech, and Relax Gaming.
If you sign up at Chumba Casino today, you can use the excellent Chumba welcome bonus that doesn’t require a purchase. You’ll earn a whopping 2,000,000 gold coins, as well as 2 sweeps coins, so you can enjoy all its casino games for free.
Global Poker
Global Poker is your one-stop shop for all types of poker games. The poker platform was established by VGW Games Limited in 2017 and has grown to become one of the largest online poker platforms, where players can enjoy poker for free with a chance to win real cash prizes.
On Global Poker, you’ll find tons of poker tables, including Sit’N’Go tables, ring games, and tournaments, in some of the most popular poker variations, such as Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Caribbean Poker. You’ll also find 30+ slots and casino-style games by VGW and other software providers.
On top of that, you can play all those free games using the 100,000 gold coins you get as a no deposit bonus when signing up. Plus, you’ll earn 10 free poker tournament entries, so you can test your poker skills against others for a chance to win huge prizes.
LuckyLand Slots
LuckyLand Slots is one of the latest sweepstakes casinos by VGW. Similar to most VGW sweepstakes platforms, US and Canadian residents (except those in Washington and Quebec) can enjoy tons of online slots and casino games for free with gold coins, as well as redeem sweeps coins for real prizes.
As the name suggests, the LuckyLand Slots catalog primarily consists of 50+ online slot games, all created and managed by VGW. Additionally, you can find some other casino games, such as blackjack and a few scratch cards.
The LuckyLand Slots sign-up bonus is one of the best among social casinos, as it gives you 7,777 gold coins and 10 sweeps coins without the need for a deposit. You can make the most of these currencies and enjoy the entire game catalog, potentially earning large prizes.
VGW Play
VGW Play embodies the essence and true purpose of VGW like no other and promises the ultimate gaming paradise for endless entertainment. The platform launched in 2023 and consists of several popular free games, like crosswords, challenging puzzles that require strategic gameplay, and card games, as well as exciting arcade games, such as Bubble Shooter and Snake.
The best thing about VGW Play is that you can enjoy it for free anywhere you are. You don’t even need to sign up for an account, as you can play all the games directly from the online website.
Despite its young age, VGW Play is already making a name for itself, thanks in part to the collaboration between VGW and Scuderia Ferrari. Through this partnership, the VGW Play name is proudly displayed on the Ferrari SF-23 for the Formula 1 2023 season.
Top 10 Casino Games by VGW
VGW has developed several popular slots, which you can enjoy in one of its many sweepstakes casinos. Some of the most popular games from VGW include:
#1. Stampede Fury
Stampede Fury is a very popular online slot game from VGW with a classic animal theme, including buffaloes that act as wild symbols. The game features five reels and a whopping 243 paylines, which gives you tons of winning combinations.
If you land three or more scatter symbols, you’ll enter the free spins bonus, which gives you up to 25 free rounds with additional buffalo symbols in every spin. There’s also a second bonus game, which you enter by hitting six coins. This second bonus gives you the opportunity to fill the board with coins and earn one of the progressive Fireshot Jackpots™, which brings a huge amount of money.
#2. Cascade Beats
If you’ve ever wanted to know what it feels like to be a DJ behind the decks, this game should be right up your alley. Cascade Beats is another five-reel slot from VGW with 243 paylines and great bonus features. Not to mention the groovy sound effects and soundtrack playing in the background, which will make you think you’re right inside a club.
The game is a tumble slot, and every connection removes the symbols with new ones tumbling down. If you make four or more connections in a single spin, you enter the free spins round. There’s also a progressive multiplier for your wins, which increases as you connect more symbols, as well as a progressive jackpot which is paid out after a certain number of cascades.
#3. The Last Empress
The Last Empress is one of the newest slots from VGW and features a unique 6 x 4 grid with tumbling wins and a top row with additional symbols to help you make connections. This unique setup allows for up to 10,000 ways to win. The more connections you make, the more symbols cascade down, allowing for even more combinations.
Three or more scatter symbols get you into the bonus game with free spins, and you can also enter the jackpot bonus with six or more coin symbols. The jackpot bonus feature allows you to win the ultimate grand jackpot prize.
#4. Western Gold
Western Gold takes you all the way back to the Gold Rush era in the Wild West, where everyone was frantically looking to make a fortune. It’s a traditional five-reel slot with plenty of symbols themed around the Wild West and 50 paylines in total.
The sheriff’s badge is the scatter symbol, which takes you into the free spins bonus round, where you can win huge prizes. There’s also a progressive jackpot bonus round, where you have the potential to win the maximum payout for this slot.
In fact, this game has paid out the maximum jackpot ever recorded at Chumba Casino – a massive 300,000 Sweeps Coins ($300k!)!
#5. The Great Heist
Get ready for the largest gallery heist ever with the Great Heist slot! This amazing game from VGW drags you into a cops and robbers chase with large payouts. It’s a classic five-reel online slot with 178 paylines, as well as unique graphics and animations.
The game features three different wild symbols, all of which can substitute for any other symbol and help you make connections. To enter the game’s free spins bonus feature, you need to land the van symbol on the first reel and the thief symbol on the fifth reel. Then, you enter a bonus round where the board slowly fills up with sticky and moving wilds.
#6. Long Zhi Bao Zang
This classic slot features an Asian theme, with all the standard symbols you can expect to find, like dragons, tigers, and toads. Similar to most five-reel slots from VGW, this game features 50 paylines and bonus features.
In order to enter the free spins round, you need to hit three scatter symbols. During the free spins round, as well as the base game, some of the premium symbols can give you multipliers for even larger wins. Additionally, the game features a progressive jackpot, which is awarded randomly.
#7. The Great Slotini
Ready to step into a world full of magic tricks? The Great Slotini is an exciting online slot game from VGW with a theme centered around magicians and tricks. This five-reel slot with 1024 ways to win features the standard 10 to A symbols, along with magic-themed symbols, such as a white rabbit and a magic hat.
The Great Slotini himself acts as a wild symbol and helps you make connections with other symbols for greater payouts. The game comes with a free spins round, which you unlock by hitting three or more magic chest scatter symbols. During the free spins bonus, if a wild symbol appears on the third reel, all other premium symbols to its right also turn into wilds for massive payouts.
#8. Triple Double Golden Eagles
Triple Double Golden Eagles is the epitome of a traditional slot and a great offering from VGW that will take you all the way back to the era of classic Vegas slots. It features three reels with just 5 paylines, but it makes up for it with medium volatility and frequent payments.
While playing Triple Double Golden Eagles, you’ll come across classic slot symbols like the bars, sevens, and cherries, which give you random prizes. Additionally, if you land the eagle symbol, your win will multiply by x2 or x3. Finally, landing three coins gets you into the bonus round with 10 free spins, where you can get huge wins.
#9. Diamond Panther
If you’re looking to become the king of the jungle, you should definitely try out the Diamond Panther slot by VGW. This game features five reels and four rows with a total of 40 paylines. You’ll find plenty of wild animal symbols, including monkeys, toads, toucans, and the highly-coveted panther symbol.
Hitting three diamond scatter symbols activates 10 free spins. During the free spins, if the first reel lands a full reel of animals, the reels move to the right and can potentially fill up all others with the same animal. If you hit a full board of the black panther, you win the game’s maximum payout.
#10. Golden Oz
Get ready to dive into the world of Oz with the Golden Oz slot by VGW. This game is themed around characters from The Wizard of Oz and features cartoony versions of familiar faces, like the Tin Man, the ScareCrow, and Dorothy herself. The game has a classic five-reel setup with 25 ways to win.
If you hit three or more tornado scatter symbols, you’ll enter the free spins bonus round. In this bonus feature, you get to pick one of your favorite characters to play with. Also, in the free spins round, you get random wild symbols, which you can use to create even more winning combinations.
Are VGW Games Legit?
A question that often comes up is whether slots and casino games from VGW are legitimate and fair. If you search online, you’ll find mixed reviews about VGW games and casino products, but that’s pretty common for all casino providers.
The truth is that VGW games are perfectly legitimate and fair. VGW Holdings is a licensed software provider by the reputable Malta Gaming Authority (license number MGA/B2C/188/2010), and its games are constantly audited to ensure their fairness.
One downside to VGW games is that they don’t publicly release their RTP (Return To Player) values. In general, you can expect RTP values around 93% to 95%, which is slightly below average compared to other providers.
Who Is the Owner of VGW?
The founder and owner of VGW Holdings Limited is Laurence Escalante. He’s an Australian-based entrepreneur and investor who studied Economics and Actuarial Studies at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.
He previously worked in the financial sector as an investor and advisor for 10 years before venturing into the world of online gaming, where he founded VGW in 2010. He’s been involved in the majority of fundraising for the company, as well as most of its technical innovations, including the creation and operation of the different sweepstakes casinos.
How Does VGW Holding Do?
VGW Holdings, the parent company of Virtual Gaming Worlds, has been steadily growing and has managed to establish itself as one of the top software and casino providers over the past few years. The company has steadily increased its revenues, as well as its employee count, and currently operates in several physical locations worldwide.
Part of the success of VGW can be attributed to its excellent partnerships. The most recent one is with the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team, where the VGW logo is present on the SF-23 F1 car for the entire 2023 season.
How Much Is VGW Worth?
The profits and value of VGW have constantly increased ever since its establishment in 2010. Its current value is estimated to be around $3.7 billion; however, it could be even higher based on its profits over the past year.
The company is currently publicly held but is unlisted. Nonetheless, with a potential public listing on the horizon, its value may increase even more in the future.
How Does VGW Make Money?
Similar to all social casino providers, VGW operates under the sweepstakes model. This is essentially a freemium model, where the platform offers free games for all players using a proprietary currency, in this case, gold coins or sweeps coins.
Players also have the option to purchase additional currency for real money, which is essentially how the company makes most of its profits. However, buying extra coins isn’t mandatory, and you can definitely enjoy all the games for free.
VGW Lawsuit
In order to avoid legal trouble in the United States, VGW ensures all of its games are free and don’t require the purchase of any coins with actual money. However, the company was recently involved in a lawsuit filed by the state of Kentucky for illegal gambling activities.
Despite pleading innocent against all claims, VGW settled for approximately $17 million to avoid dragging out the case. All residents of the Commonwealth of Kentucky were allowed to submit a claim and earn a portion of the settlement fund, depending on how much money they’d spent on in-game transactions while playing on Chumba Casino or LuckyLand Slots.
Our VGW Alternatives
If you’re looking for games with a higher RTP, you should check out popular providers like NetEnt and Pragmatic Play at other sweepstakes casinos. For those who are not fond of VGW-operated sites, here are some similar alternatives:
Summary
All in all, VGW has definitely climbed the popularity ladder over the past few years and is now considered one of the most successful sweepstakes companies in the world. With the creation of new and exciting free games, as well as the operation of multiple successful sweepstakes casinos, you should definitely try it out if you want an amazing online gaming experience.
