Penalty Amount
$8,000,000
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured an $8 million settlement from VGW Holdings Pty. Ltd. and its affiliates for unlawfully operating online sweepstakes casinos — Chumba Casino, Global Poker, and Luckyland Slots — that allowed New Yorkers to play casino games with virtual coins exchangeable for cash or prizes. The OAG's June 2025 cease and desist letter stopped the company from offering virtual coin gambling in New York, and Governor Hochul signed a formal ban on sweepstakes casinos into law in December 2025. Under the settlement, VGW will pay $8 million in disgorgement, penalties, and costs; note this is an illegal-gambling enforcement action rather than a privacy matter, so no privacy violation taxonomy categories apply.
VGW will pay $8 million in disgorgement, penalties, and costs to New York. The company had already ended the sale of sweepstakes coins in New York following the OAG's June 2025 cease and desist letter.
This is an illegal-gambling enforcement action rather than a privacy matter, so the priority review is gaming and sweepstakes compliance language rather than data-protection clauses. In-house teams whose companies operate, sponsor, or partner with sweepstakes promotions, social casinos, or virtual-currency programs should review vendor, platform, affiliate, and marketing agreements for representations and warranties that offerings comply with state gambling laws — including New York's 2025 ban on sweepstakes casinos — and confirm whether any 'virtual coins' or rewards described as 'free' are in fact redeemable for cash or prizes and therefore constitute regulated gambling. Check payment-processing and app-store agreements for gambling-related restrictions, and verify that indemnification, regulatory-penalty, and termination clauses allocate exposure for enforcement actions, disgorgement, and cease-and-desist letters. Privacy teams should also confirm that consumer data collected through these gaming platforms is covered by the underlying data processing agreements, since gambling enforcement often triggers parallel scrutiny of consumer data practices.
Entity
VGW Holdings Pty. Ltd.
Industry
GamingOfficial Press Release
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-secures-8-million-leading-operator-illegal-online
vgw holdings pty ltd aod 2026
https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/settlements-agreements/vgw-holdings-pty-ltd-aod-2026.pdf
New York Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://ag.ny.gov/press-releases
"secured $8 million from VGW Holdings Pty. Ltd. and its affiliates (VGW), one of the largest operators of so-called “sweepstakes casinos,” for unlawfully running online gambling platforms in New York"
"As a result of OAG’s investigation, VGW will pay $8 million in disgorgement, penalties, and costs."
"September 9, 2026"
"Under the settlement announced today, VGW will pay $8 million, including penalties."
"New York law prohibits online platforms from offering gambling that involves risking something of value, including redeemable virtual coins."
"VGW’s online casinos – Chumba Casino, Global Poker, and Luckyland Slots – allowed users to play traditional casino games using virtual coins that could be exchanged for cash or prizes."
$2.6M
New York and Connecticut reached a settlement with Boston Children’s Health Physicians and its IT security provider, XTIUM, after a 2024 breach exposed private information of approximately 825,000 New York residents and 62,871 Connecticut residents. The companies will pay $2.64 million and implement enhanced cybersecurity measures; additional penalties are conditional on violating the settlement.
New York Attorney General Letitia James joined 16 other attorneys general in urging Congress to pass proposed legislation addressing the federal government’s release of Jeffrey Epstein-related records. The press release says DOJ has not fully disclosed the records required by the original law and that personal information of at least 43 victims was exposed in released files; this is a legislative advocacy announcement, not an enforcement action imposing a penalty or remedy.
$1.9M
New York Attorney General Letitia James secured a settlement after an investigation found Dollar General stores routinely charged customers more than advertised or posted prices and issued confusing receipts. Dollar General must donate $1.875 million in food and personal items to Foodlink and implement pricing, receipt, training, and audit reforms.
New York Attorney General Letitia James released an updated guide warning voters that AI-generated election content and chatbots may provide misleading information. This is public guidance, not an enforcement action, and the release describes no penalty or privacy violation.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 39 other attorneys general filed a motion in Character Technologies, Inc.’s bankruptcy, citing risks to children and sensitive user information and potential violations of state privacy laws. The coalition asks the court, the company, and any prospective buyer to require meaningful privacy and safety protections; no fine or final remedy is reported.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, the FTC, and six other state attorneys general asked a federal court to hold Martin Shkreli in contempt for allegedly trading pharmaceutical stocks and discussing pharmaceutical companies in violation of his lifetime industry ban. The requested sanctions include divestiture, an accounting of his trading, forfeiture of trading profits, and possible further fines or incarceration; the release describes a request to the court, not a new ruling imposing those measures.