Where you can play in October 2026: the 50-state status
| Status | States | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Legal and served by most operators | Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia | 26 |
| Legal but excluded by many operators (regulatory pressure or regulated iGaming) | Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia | 11 |
| Banned by statute | California, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Oklahoma (from November 1, 2026) | 11 |
| Blocked under existing gambling law | Idaho, Michigan, Washington | 3 |
The first two rows are where sweepstakes casinos are legal. The distinction between them is practical rather than legal: in the second row you will find fewer brands, and the ones you do find may leave with little notice.
States that have banned sweepstakes casinos
Eleven states have passed laws that specifically prohibit the dual-currency model sweepstakes casinos run on. In every one of them, operators have closed accounts and stopped accepting new registrations, and any Sweeps Coins balance left after the cutoff is difficult or impossible to recover.
California - AB 831, signed October 11, 2025, effective January 1, 2026. The most consequential ban in the industry: California accounted for roughly 17% of US sweepstakes revenue. The law prohibits operating dual-currency sweepstakes platforms and extends liability to payment processors, geolocation providers, game suppliers and affiliates. Penalties reach $25,000 per violation and up to a year in jail. Every major operator exited before the effective date.
New York - S5935A, signed December 5, 2025, effective immediately. The Attorney General had already sent cease-and-desist letters to 26 operators in June 2025, and all complied, so the statute formalised an exit that had largely happened. VGW, owner of Chumba and LuckyLand, later paid $8 million in penalties to state regulators.
New Jersey - A5447 passed the legislature in July 2025 and became law later that year. New Jersey is a regulated online casino state, and the bill was framed as protecting that market. No sweepstakes casino on this site serves New Jersey.
Connecticut - An anti-sweepstakes bill passed in June 2025 and took effect October 1, 2025. Connecticut had already pushed VGW out in 2024 via a cease-and-desist from the Department of Consumer Protection.
Montana - SB 555, signed May 12, 2025, effective October 1, 2025. Montana was the first state to bring a 2025 anti-sweepstakes bill into law, and most brands had exited pre-emptively in mid-2024 when the bill was pending.
Nevada - Sweepstakes casinos were already excluded in practice under the Nevada Gaming Control Act, and 2025 legislation strengthened enforcement. No operator has ever seriously served Nevada.
Indiana - HB 1052, signed March 2026, effective July 1, 2026. Indiana was the first state to pass a ban in the 2026 session. Mega Bonanza and Jackpota switched off Sweeps Coins play on June 2, ahead of the deadline, and the rest of the market followed by July 1.
Maine - LD 2007, signed April 2026, effective July 14, 2026. The same bill legalised real-money online casinos for the state's tribal operators. Mega Bonanza and Jackpota left on June 2 alongside their Indiana exit.
Louisiana - The Attorney General declared the sweepstakes model illegal in July 2025 and the gaming regulator issued cease-and-desist letters; most operators left then. HB 883 and HB 53, signed May 2026 and effective August 2026, replaced enforcement letters with a statute that includes an anti-racketeering provision other states are expected to copy.
Tennessee - The Attorney General sent cease-and-desist letters to nearly 40 operators in December 2025, and all indicated they would comply. SB 2136, signed May 2026, turned that into a statutory ban. Chumba, McLuck, Stake.us and Crown Coins were among the brands that exited.
Oklahoma - SB 1589 was vetoed by the Governor and enacted by legislative override in May 2026, effective November 1, 2026. Operators are expected to close Oklahoma accounts through October. If you play in Oklahoma, redeem any balance before the end of October.
States that block sweepstakes casinos under existing law
Three states never needed a law aimed at sweepstakes casinos specifically.
Washington - The Washington Gambling Act of 1973, revised in 2006 and 2013 to cover internet gambling, prohibits any unauthorised gambling and makes no allowance for promotional sweepstakes. The Gambling Commission's published position is that no Washington law authorises the format. No brand serves Washington.
Michigan - The Michigan Gaming Control Board took Golden Hearts Games to court in December 2023 and then sent cease-and-desist letters to the major operators. Michigan is a regulated online casino state, and sweepstakes casinos have been treated as illegal there since.
Idaho - Idaho's constitution, amended in 1992, prohibits anything "typical of casino gambling". Some brands still allow Idaho residents to play with Gold Coins, but Sweeps Coins play and prize redemption are switched off, which for practical purposes makes Idaho a banned state.
States where sweepstakes casinos are legal but operators are leaving
The eleven states in this group have no ban on sweepstakes casinos on the books, and in several of them a ban was proposed and failed. What they share is a hostile regulator, a regulated online casino industry, or both, and operators have responded by excluding them voluntarily.
Arizona - Authorities sent cease-and-desist letters to some operators in 2025. LoneStar, Stake.us and RealPrize exclude Arizona; Crown Coins and the B-Two brands still serve it.
Illinois - Blazesoft withdrew its entire brand family from Illinois in 2026 and Stake.us excludes it. Most other brands remain.
Iowa - SF 2289, signed May 2026, gave the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission cease-and-desist powers over sweepstakes operators without banning the format. Several operators have become cautious, and some have quietly left.
Kentucky - VGW settled a Kentucky lawsuit for $11.75 million in 2022 without admitting wrongdoing. McLuck, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz, Mega Bonanza and Stake.us exclude Kentucky; Crown Coins and LoneStar still serve it.
Maryland - Anti-sweepstakes bills were introduced in 2025 and 2026 without passing. LoneStar, the B-Two brands and Stake.us exclude Maryland.
Delaware - A regulated online casino state. The regulator issued a cease-and-desist to VGW in 2023, and most operators exclude Delaware.
West Virginia - A regulated online casino state. The B-Two brands, LoneStar and Stake.us exclude it; Crown Coins still serves it.
Pennsylvania and Rhode Island - Both run regulated online casinos. Stake.us excludes both; Playtana and Stormrush exclude Rhode Island; most brands on this site still serve Pennsylvania.
Ohio - No ban and no bill, but McLuck, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz and Mega Bonanza all exclude Ohio while Crown Coins, LoneStar and TaoFortune serve it.
Alabama - Regulators have sent cease-and-desist letters in the past. Mega Bonanza and the Mamba brands exclude Alabama; Crown Coins, LoneStar and McLuck serve it.
States where anti-sweepstakes bills failed in 2026
Bills that would have banned sweepstakes casinos were introduced and did not pass in Massachusetts (H 4431, which would also have legalised online casinos for the three retail operators), Virginia (as part of a wider iGaming push), Florida, Mississippi and Minnesota (SF 4474, which missed the May 18 session deadline). All five remain open, but a bill that failed in 2026 will usually be refiled in 2027, and Florida in particular has moved to litigation instead: the Attorney General issued subpoenas in January and filed suit against VGW and Stake.us in August 2026. Florida also caps sweepstakes prizes at $5,000; anything above that is void.
How to check whether a sweepstakes casino is legal in your state
Three checks settle it in under five minutes, and they are worth doing before every registration because the answer changes.
First, find your state in the A to Z list below and read the status line. "Legal" means no statute and no enforcement action; "banned" and "blocked" mean no sweepstakes casino will serve you for prizes regardless of what a signup page says.
Second, open the brand's sweepstakes rules, usually linked from the footer, and find the eligibility clause. Every legitimate sweepstakes casino lists the states it excludes by name, and that list is binding even in a state where sweepstakes casinos are legal. If the rules don't name any states, treat that as a warning about the operator rather than good news about your state.
Third, check the date. A sweepstakes casino that excluded fourteen states in March may exclude sixteen in September, and the Verified boxes on our reviews carry the date each list was last confirmed. If a brand's own rules and our table disagree, the brand's rules are current and ours need updating; tell us.
Age requirements at sweepstakes casinos
There is no single legal age for sweepstakes casinos. Operators set their own minimum, and the trend since 2025 has been upward: Crown Coins and LoneStar accept players from 18, while McLuck, Mega Bonanza, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz and TaoFortune moved to 21. A few states impose a floor above the operator's, and every brand verifies date of birth against ID before the first redemption, so an account opened under the minimum will play but never pay.
Restricted states by brand
Each sweepstakes casino publishes its own restricted-states list, and the list is what decides whether you can register, not the statute. The seven below are reproduced from each brand's sweepstakes rules and re-checked monthly. Brand names link to the full review, where the same list appears in the Verified box.
- 1
Crown Coins Casino- Not available in
- California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Washington
- Count
- 14
18+ (21+ where required). No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. T&Cs apply.
- 2
LoneStar Casino- Not available in
- Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia
- Count
- 18
18+ (21+ where required). No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. T&Cs apply.
- 3
McLuck- Not available in
- California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia
- Count
- 18
18+ (21+ where required). No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. T&Cs apply.
- 4
Mega Bonanza- Not available in
- Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia
- Count
- 18
18+ (21+ where required). No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. T&Cs apply.
- 5
Hello Millions- Not available in
- California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia
- Count
- 18
18+ (21+ where required). No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. T&Cs apply.
- 6
SpinBlitz- Not available in
- California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Washington, West Virginia
- Count
- 18
18+ (21+ where required). No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. T&Cs apply.
- 7
TaoFortune- Not available in
- California, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Washington
- Count
- 13
18+ (21+ where required). No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. T&Cs apply.
Crown Coins and TaoFortune serve the most states among the seven; the four B-Two brands share one list and, with LoneStar, exclude the regulated iGaming states as well as the banned ones. If your state appears in the second row of the summary table, Crown Coins is the sweepstakes casino most likely to still be open to you.
What happens to your balance when a state bans sweepstakes casinos
Every sweepstakes casino ban so far has followed the same sequence. Operators announce an exit date, usually two to eight weeks before the law takes effect. New registrations from the state close first. Purchases close next. On the exit date, Sweeps Coins play is switched off and accounts are locked to a redeem-only state for a short window, and then closed. Balances not redeemed by the close date are, in most operators' terms, forfeited.
The defensive rule is simple: if your state is on any ban timeline, redeem before the operator's announced date, not the statute's. California players had until December 31, 2025. Indiana and Maine players at Mega Bonanza and Jackpota had until June 2. Oklahoma players should treat October 2026 as the deadline. Redemptions submitted during a closure window are processed, but slowly, because every player in the state is doing the same thing at once, and the brands on our list of sweepstakes casinos usa real money that pay fastest under normal conditions are the ones most likely to clear a closure queue before the door shuts.
Using a VPN to keep playing after an exit does not work. Operators geolocate at login and at redemption, and a mismatch between your registered address, your ID and your connection is treated as fraud: the balance is forfeited and the account closed.
All 50 states, A to Z
Each entry gives the legal position for sweepstakes casinos, the enforcement position where it differs, and which of our seven sweepstakes casinos serve the state as of October 2026.
Alabama - Legal. No statute; regulators have sent cease-and-desist letters in the past and some operators exclude it. Served by Crown Coins, LoneStar, McLuck, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz, TaoFortune. Excluded by Mega Bonanza.
Alaska - Legal. No bill and no enforcement action against sweepstakes casinos. Served by all seven.
Arizona - Legal, with regulatory pressure. Cease-and-desist letters in 2025; several operators have left. Served by Crown Coins, McLuck, Mega Bonanza, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz, TaoFortune. Excluded by LoneStar.
Arkansas - Legal. A 2025 bill to legalise online casinos and ban sweepstakes failed. Served by all seven.
California - Banned. AB 831, effective January 1, 2026. Served by none.
Colorado - Legal. No bill and no enforcement action against sweepstakes casinos. Served by all seven.
Connecticut - Banned. Statute effective October 1, 2025. Served by none.
Delaware - Legal, regulated online casino state. Regulator cease-and-desist to VGW in 2023; most operators exclude it. Served by Crown Coins, TaoFortune. Excluded by LoneStar, McLuck, Mega Bonanza, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz.
District of Columbia - Legal. Served by Crown Coins, LoneStar, McLuck, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz, TaoFortune; some brands exclude DC, so check the rules.
Florida - Legal, with litigation. A 2026 ban failed; the Attorney General sued VGW and Stake.us in August 2026. Prizes above $5,000 are void under state law. Served by all seven.
Georgia - Legal. A federal court dismissed a class action against VGW in 2024. Served by all seven; note that a few brands outside our seven exclude Georgia.
Hawaii - Legal. A 2025 proposal to regulate sweepstakes failed. Served by all seven.
Idaho - Blocked. Constitutional prohibition on casino-style gambling; Sweeps Coins play and redemption are disabled. Served by none for prizes.
Illinois - Legal, with operator exits. Blazesoft left in 2026; Stake.us excludes it. Served by all seven.
Indiana - Banned. HB 1052, effective July 1, 2026. Served by none.
Iowa - Legal, with new regulator powers. SF 2289 (May 2026) allows cease-and-desist orders. Served by all seven, though some operators are showing caution.
Kansas - Legal. Sweepstakes casinos operate without a bill or enforcement action. Served by all seven.
Kentucky - Legal, with a history. VGW settled a state lawsuit for $11.75 million in 2022. Served by Crown Coins, LoneStar, TaoFortune. Excluded by McLuck, Mega Bonanza, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz.
Louisiana - Banned. Attorney General declaration July 2025; HB 883 and HB 53 effective August 2026. Served by none.
Maine - Banned. LD 2007, effective July 14, 2026. Served by none.
Maryland - Legal. Bills failed in 2025 and 2026. Served by Crown Coins, TaoFortune. Excluded by LoneStar, McLuck, Mega Bonanza, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz.
Massachusetts - Legal. H 4431 (ban plus iGaming legalisation) failed in 2026. Served by all seven.
Michigan - Blocked. Michigan Gaming Control Board enforcement since 2023. Served by none.
Minnesota - Legal. The regulator asked operators to halt in October 2025 and none complied; SF 4474 failed in May 2026. Served by all seven.
Mississippi - Legal. A 2026 ban failed. Served by all seven; a few brands outside our seven exclude it.
Missouri - Legal. Sweepstakes casinos operate without a bill or enforcement action. Served by all seven.
Montana - Banned. SB 555, effective October 1, 2025. Served by none.
Nebraska - Legal. No bill and no enforcement action against sweepstakes casinos. Served by all seven.
Nevada - Banned. Nevada Gaming Control Act; 2025 enforcement. Served by none.
New Hampshire - Legal. Sweepstakes casinos operate without a bill or enforcement action. Served by all seven.
New Jersey - Banned. A5447, 2025. Served by none.
New Mexico - Legal. No bill and no enforcement action against sweepstakes casinos. Served by all seven.
New York - Banned. S5935A, effective December 5, 2025. Served by none.
North Carolina - Legal. Sweepstakes cafés were banned in 2010, but the online dual-currency model operates. Served by all seven.
North Dakota - Legal. Sweepstakes casinos face no bill or enforcement action. Served by all seven.
Ohio - Legal. No bill, but four of our seven exclude it. Served by Crown Coins, LoneStar, TaoFortune. Excluded by McLuck, Mega Bonanza, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz.
Oklahoma - Banned from November 1, 2026. SB 1589, enacted by veto override. Served by McLuck, Mega Bonanza, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz, TaoFortune until their announced exit dates; Crown Coins and LoneStar have already excluded it.
Oregon - Legal. Sweepstakes casinos face no bill or enforcement action. Served by all seven.
Pennsylvania - Legal, regulated online casino state. Stake.us excludes it. Served by all seven.
Rhode Island - Legal, regulated online casino state. Some newer brands exclude it. Served by all seven.
South Carolina - Legal. Sweepstakes casinos face no bill or enforcement action. Served by all seven.
South Dakota - Legal. Sweepstakes casinos face no bill or enforcement action. Served by all seven.
Tennessee - Banned. Attorney General letters December 2025; SB 2136 signed May 2026. Served by none.
Texas - Legal. The largest open market by population now that California is closed. Served by all seven.
Utah - Legal. Utah bans gambling outright, but the promotional sweepstakes model operates; a few brands outside our seven exclude it. Served by all seven.
Vermont - Legal. Stake.us excludes it. Served by all seven.
Virginia - Legal. A 2026 iGaming bill that would have banned sweepstakes failed. Served by all seven.
Washington - Blocked. Washington Gambling Act. Served by none.
West Virginia - Legal, regulated online casino state. Served by Crown Coins, TaoFortune. Excluded by LoneStar, McLuck, Mega Bonanza, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz.
Wisconsin - Legal. Sweepstakes casinos face no bill or enforcement action. Served by all seven.
Wyoming - Legal. Home state of A1 Development, TaoFortune's operator. Some newer brands exclude it. Served by all seven.
How sweepstakes casinos are legal at all
The legal basis for sweepstakes casinos is the same one that lets a cereal brand print a prize code on the box. A promotional sweepstakes is lawful in most states if three conditions hold: no purchase is necessary to enter, a free method of entry is offered, and the prize is not tied to the purchase. Sweepstakes casinos meet those conditions by giving Sweeps Coins away free (on sign-up, daily, and by post), by never selling Sweeps Coins directly, and by treating Gold Coin purchases as a sale of entertainment currency with a promotional bonus attached. Understanding how sweeps casinos work is mostly understanding that structure, because every state ban of the last two years has been an argument that the structure is a fiction.
That argument against sweepstakes casinos has won in eleven legislatures, and the pattern is consistent. States with regulated online casinos (New Jersey, Michigan, Connecticut) ban to protect licensed operators. States with strong anti-gambling constitutions (Idaho, Washington, Nevada) treat the format as gambling by default. States without either (California, New York, Tennessee, Indiana, Maine, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Montana) have been persuaded by consumer-protection arguments about unregulated products. The states still open tend to be those with neither a regulated iGaming industry to protect nor a legislature that has yet prioritised the issue, and that is a description of most of the South, the Plains and the Mountain West.
The sweepstakes casino industry's answer has been to form a trade group, the Social and Promotional Gaming Association, to raise minimum ages to 21 at many brands, and to leave states pre-emptively when a bill gains momentum. None of that has reversed a ban once passed. For a player, the only reliable rule is that the top sweepstakes casinos are the ones that publish an accurate restricted-state list and honour their announced exit dates, and the seven on this site do both.
Timeline of sweepstakes casino law
- August 2026 - Louisiana's HB 883 and HB 53 take effect. Florida's Attorney General sues VGW and Stake.us.
- July 2026 - Indiana (July 1) and Maine (July 14) bans take effect.
- June 2026 - Mega Bonanza and Jackpota exit Indiana and Maine on June 2. Operators begin planning Oklahoma exits.
- May 2026 - Louisiana, Oklahoma (veto override) and Tennessee pass bans. Iowa grants its regulator cease-and-desist powers. Minnesota's bill fails.
- April 2026 - Maine signs LD 2007.
- March 2026 - Indiana signs HB 1052. Bans fail in Massachusetts, Virginia, Florida and Mississippi.
- January 2026 - California's ban takes effect. New bills filed in at least a dozen states. Florida issues subpoenas.
- December 2025 - New York signs S5935A. Tennessee's Attorney General sends letters to nearly 40 operators.
- October 2025 - California signs AB 831. Connecticut and Montana bans take effect. Minnesota's regulator asks operators to halt.
- September 2025 - Pragmatic Play withdraws from the US sweepstakes market after a Los Angeles civil action.
- July 2025 - New Jersey passes A5447. Louisiana's Attorney General declares the model illegal.
- June 2025 - New York sends cease-and-desist letters to 26 operators. Connecticut passes its ban.
- May 2025 - Montana becomes the first state to sign a 2025 anti-sweepstakes bill.
- 2024 - Michigan enforcement begins in earnest; VGW exits Connecticut; the Social and Promotional Gaming Association forms.
- 2023 - Michigan Gaming Control Board takes Golden Hearts Games to court. Delaware sends a cease-and-desist to VGW.
- 2022 - VGW settles Kentucky lawsuit for $11.75 million.
- 2012 - Chumba Casino launches the first US online sweepstakes casino.
Most sweepstakes casinos launched in 2026 opened with fifteen or more states excluded from day one. We judge the new sweepstakes casinos we monitor partly on whether their restricted-state list reflects that reality.
Frequently asked questions
What states are sweepstakes casinos legal in?
Sweepstakes casinos are legal in 36 states and the District of Columbia as of October 2026. In 26 of those they are served by most operators; in the other 11 (Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia) many operators exclude the state voluntarily.
What states have banned sweepstakes casinos?
California, Connecticut, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Tennessee have statutory sweepstakes casino bans in force. Oklahoma's takes effect November 1, 2026. Idaho, Michigan and Washington block sweepstakes casinos under existing gambling law.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Texas?
Yes. Texas has no sweepstakes casino ban and no pending bill, and all seven sweepstakes casinos on this site serve it. It is now the largest open market by population.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Florida?
Yes, for now. A 2026 ban failed, but the Attorney General sued VGW and Stake.us in August 2026, and Florida law voids sweepstakes prizes above $5,000. All seven brands on this site currently serve Florida.
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Ohio?
Yes. Ohio has no ban and no bill, but McLuck, Mega Bonanza, Hello Millions and SpinBlitz exclude it voluntarily. Crown Coins, LoneStar and TaoFortune serve Ohio.
Can I use a VPN to play from a banned state?
No. Sweepstakes casinos geolocate at login and redemption and check your connection against your registered address and ID. A mismatch results in a closed account and a forfeited balance.
What happens to my Sweeps Coins if my state bans sweepstakes casinos?
Sweepstakes casinos announce an exit date, close registrations and purchases, then lock accounts to redeem-only for a short window before closing them. Balances not redeemed by that date are usually forfeited. Redeem before the operator's announced date, not the statute's effective date.
Do I have to be 18 or 21?
It depends on the brand. Crown Coins and LoneStar accept players from 18; McLuck, Mega Bonanza, Hello Millions, SpinBlitz and TaoFortune require 21. Some states set their own minimum.
BestSweepstakesCasinoUSA.com may receive a commission when you sign up through links on this page. Commissions do not affect rankings. 18+ (21+ where required). No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. This page is general information about state law and operator policy, not legal advice.