The original 2013 report
Original reporting follows. Offers, event dates, product details and opinions are historical. Old outbound links are shown as text.
Chumba World is Virtual Gaming World’s (VGW) answer to the idea of fusing together social gaming and gambling. They are in the last stages of the completion of the game, which is described as “Second life meets Farmville meets Vegas.”
This is a free game where players are allowed to create their own casinos as well as customize all the relating details of the game. They are given a chance to build their own roulette tables, poker parlors and even Blackjack casinos online. Visiting and playing at the other player’s casino is also possible.
There is no need for VGW to possess a gambling license since wagering and payout of real cash is not involved, although players from all over the world can wager by purchasing virtual coins just like any other social games available on any social media sites.
The project was recently posted at Kickstarter, an online fund-raising platform, as the company was hoping to raise $50,000 by March 4.
Laurence Escalante, VGW CEO and founder is said in a recent interview at GamesBeat, “(Although) we’ve raised money from private investors here in Australia, to complete much of what we’ve done to date, a platform/MMO/casino undertaking of this size is pretty ambitious and requires a lot of resources.”
What makes this setup unique from the rest of the online game casinos, is that it gives players the chance to earn real money. VGW has so far made sure that winnings cannot be cashed out. However, as their casinos gets visited by friends and followers, having these people spend virtual currency at your blackjack table or anywhere else, VGW are able to calculate the earnings and owners are given a small revenue share as real or virtual money.
This part is still being developed and the kinks are still being worked out. Still, this type of setup exempts Chumba World operators and players from any gambling-related rules.
Read a little deeper
Separate the interface from the game
An app launch tells a story about the devices, controls and platforms of its time. Read for the distinction between practice, social play and real-money play, then look for the rules of the actual game. Old download instructions, prices, device requirements and store references are retained as historical reporting, not installation advice.
- Platform
- Note the device, operating system and version in the announcement.
- Mode
- Distinguish practice or social play from real-money gambling.
- Rules
- A familiar blackjack name does not specify every payout or rule.
Does an old app announcement establish that it still works?
No. A launch report records what was announced then. It does not establish present-day availability, support, compatibility or game rules. Use the linked guides for the underlying blackjack concepts.
More from this era
Archive presentation refreshed 26 October 2026. The original report and publication date are retained; this is not a new offer, event listing or product review.