Chavdar Vasilev is a gambling news writer with several years of experience in the iGaming industry. He started creating promotional content but soon found he loved reporting on the industry itself. Since then, he’s delivered...
Read Full BioSweepstakes casinos are rapidly retreating from the US market as a growing number of states are ramping up enforcement through cease-and-desist orders and passing legislation targeting the free-to-play, dual-currency model.
Idaho, Michigan, and Washington have long been ineligible jurisdictions for sweepstakes casinos, but in the past few months, several others have moved towards prohibition.
Montana was the first to officially ban the platforms at the end of May. Connecticut and New York followed in June, while Nevada granted its gambling regulators more authority to prosecute operators from out-of-state, including sweepstakes casinos.
Elsewhere, Louisiana lawmakers also passed a ban, but Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed it, stating it was unnecessary. Since then, the state has sent a cease-and-desist order to 40 offshore and sweepstakes operators, with many now starting to comply.
Additionally, Maryland, Delaware, and Mississippi are among the states employing the same regulatory tactic, issuing cease-and-desist letters.
State-by-State Breakdown: Sweepstakes Casino Exits and Holdouts
So, which platforms have complied, and who are staying rogue? See below a list of confirmed exits by Casinobeats in select states.
Montana
Every single sweepstakes casino that we’ve checked has now listed Montana as an ineligible jurisdiction.
The only exception is Luckybird.io, which continues to welcome players from Montana.
New York
Sweepstakes casinos exit New York as early as March, when a Senate bill advanced through committees.
At the beginning of June, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office had shut down 26 platforms. That was followed by an official ban passed by the state legislature, pending Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature.
With that said, the following sweepstakes casinos no longer operate in New York:
- Baba Casino
- Carnival Citi
- Casino Click
- Chanced and sister site Punt.com
- Chumba Casino and sister sites, LuckyLand Slots and Global Poker
- DingDingDing
- Fliff and sister site Sidepots
- Fortune Coins and sister sites Zula Casino, Sportzino, and Yay Casino
- Fortune Wheelz and sister casinos Funrize, FunzCity, Fortune Wheelz, NoLimitCoins, and TaoFortune
- Funzpoints
- Golden Hearts Games
- High 5 Casino
- Jackpota and sister sites McLuck Casino, Hello Millions, Jackpota, Mega Bonanza, and SpinBlitz.
- Legendz Casino
- Lonestar Casino
- Modo.us
- Moonspin
- Play Fame
- Pulsz Casino and Pulsz Bingo
- RealPrize
- Rebet
- Rolling Riches
- Smiles Casino
- Spree
- Stake.us
- SweepSlots
- Sweeptastic
- The Money Factory
- Vegas Gems
- WOW Vegas
Notably, Crown Coins, Luckybird.io, and Spinfinite still list New York as an eligible jurisdiction.
Connecticut
While the Louisiana governor vetoed the sweepstakes ban bill, Connecticut Gov. Joe Lombardo signed the ban on June 5, joining Montana.
Since then, most platforms have been exiting similarly to New York and Montana, with a few exceptions.
Platforms that still accept Connecticut players include: Crown Coins, Fortune Coins, Funzpoints, Spinfinite, Sportzino, The Money Factory, Yay Casino, and Zula Casino.
Meanwhile, Luckybird.io, which serves New York and Montana, does not accept players from Connecticut.
Nevada
Nevada took a different approach from explicitly banning the platforms.
Instead, it passed a bill that gives state regulators more power to target and prosecute out-of-state operators without Nevada licenses who are operating illegally in the state, including sweepstakes casinos.
That has resulted in almost all platforms exiting the state. The only operators that Casinobeats confirmed to list the state as an eligible jurisdiction are sister sites Fortune Coins, Zula Casino, Sportzino, and Yay Casino.
Maryland
Earlier this year, the Maryland Senate passed a bill banning sweepstakes, but the measure died in the House. Still, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency has stepped up and targeted over a dozen platforms.
Some like VGW’s Chumba Casino have not complied, but others have. They include:
- Baba Casino
- Carnival Citi
- Casino Click
- McLuck Casino and sister sites Hello Millions, Mega Bonanza, Jackpota, and SpinBlitz
- Modo.us
- Play Fame
- Pulsz Casino and Pulsz Bingo
- Rebet
- Rolling Riches
- Sidepot Casino
- Smiles Casino
- Spree
- Stake.us
Louisiana
The reason for the governor’s veto on the sweepstakes ban bill in Louisiana is that he believed state gambling regulators and authorities could force the platforms out without legislation.
Soon after his veto, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board announced that it had targeted 40 unlicensed offshore and sweepstakes casinos.
While the regulator didn’t release names, the following platforms have now exited the state:
- Baba Casino
- Carnival Citi
- Crown Coins
- Funzpoints
- High 5 Casino
- McLuck and sister sites Hello Millions, Mega Bonanza, Jackpota, and SpinBlitz
- Modo.us
- Moonspin
- Play Fame
- Pulsz Casino and Pulsz Bingo
- Rebet
- Rolling Riches
- Sidepot Casino
- Spree
- The Money Factory
- WOW Vegas
Mississipi
The same day that the Louisiana Gaming Commission announced its action against sweepstakes casinos, the Mississippi Gaming Commission announced it had served several offshore casinos and Chumba Casino with cease-and-desist letters.
While Chumba has not complied, a few operators have chosen to leave:
- Baba Casino
- Carnival Citi
- Pulsz Casino and Pulsz Bingo (certain promotions)
- Sidepot Casino
Delaware
The Delaware Division of Gaming Enforcement has been targeting sweepstakes casinos for over two years, albeit without much success initially.
In April, it announced it had served VGW’s LuckyLand Slots with a cease-and-desist order. Meanwhile, its sister site Chumba Casino was served almost two years ago. While it ignored the first order, VGW decided to withdraw from the state after receiving the April notice.
Sweepstakes platforms that no longer accept Delaware customers include:
- Baba Casino
- Carnival Citi
- Chanced and sister site Punt.com
- Chumba Casino and sister sites, LuckyLand Slots and Global Poker
- Funrize and sister sites FunzCity, Fortune Wheelz, NoLimit Coins, and Tao Fortune
- Luckybird.io
- McLuck and sister sites Hello Millions, Mega Bonanza, Jackpota, and SpinBlitz
- Modo.us
- Moonspin
- Play Fame
- Rolling Riches
- Sidepot
- Smiles Casino
- Spree
- Stake.us
Alabama, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Others
In addition to the states above, many sweepstakes operators have chosen to exit other states. The most common ones are Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia:
- Baba Casino: Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont, and West Virginia.
- Carnival Citi: Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia.
- Casino Click: Kentucky
- Chanced and sister site Punt.com: Kentucky, West Virginia, Washington, DC
- Fortune Coins, Sportzino Casino, Yay Casino, and Zula Casino: Georgia
- Funrize, NoLimitCoins, FunzCity, Fortune Wheelz, TaoFortune: Wyoming, West Virginia
- Legendz: Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia
- McLuck Casino and sister sites Hello Millions, Mega Bonanza, Jackpota, and SpinBlitz: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, West Virginia
- Modo us: Arizona, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.
- Moonspin: Georgia, Nebraska, and North Dakota.
- Play Fame: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, West Virginia
- Pulsz Casino and Pulsz Bingo: Alabama, Tennessee, and West Virginia
- Rolling Riches: Hawaii, Kentucky, West Virginia
- Sidepot: Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia
- Smiles Casino: Kentucky
- Spinfinite: Alabama, Delaware, Tennessee
- Spree: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and West Virginia
- Stake.us: Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia.
