Sweepstakes casino players may have a lot of questions about exactly where their favorite sites are available. That’s completely fair, considering the speedy legislative motion happening in various states to restrict and/or regulate sweepstakes gaming.
To set the stage, it’s helpful to remember that Washington and Nevada have long been stalwart prohibitors of sweepstakes gaming. Idaho often appears alongside them, though it sometimes allows for-fun play with standard currency while restricting redemptions.
However, those states have been anti-sweepstakes gaming for a long time, and recent months have seen a drastic uptick in efforts to quell operators. Here’s a quick primer on the states that either have rumblings of impending bans or actual legislation making its way through the political machine.
- New York: State Senator Joseph Addabbo sponsored a bill to prohibit sweepstakes gaming, and it advanced to the Senate floor.
- Mississippi: a bill to prohibit sweepstakes casinos made it through the House and Senate, but the House of Representatives added a provision that would expand sports betting to the whole state. The Senate would not accept the amendment. This disagreement could spell doom for the bill unless the House and Senate can agree.
- Maryland: A bill to ban sweepstakes casinos is making its way through the Maryland Senate, while state regulators apply pressure to operators to shut down in the state ahead of the potential passage of the bill.
- Connecticut: the state’s Department of Consumer Protection suspended High 5 Casino’s license for alleged illegal gaming activity. High 5 has announced it intends to comply with the state’s investigation.
Meanwhile, operators are preemptively exiting states that show signs of possibly banning their services. West Virginia and Pennsylvania are among the markets seeing operators leave.
What sweepstakes casinos are legal in my state?
It’s only natural to ask whether sweepstakes casinos are legal in your state in the wake of all this news. Here’s a look at some of our top sweepstakes casinos and where they’re currently available. Note that these lists are subject to change as states and operators take action in the coming weeks and months.
WOW Vegas
- Available in: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MS, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WV, WI, WY
- Prohibited in: ID, MI, MT, NV, WA
WOW Vegas regularly tops our list of the best sweepstakes casinos. It’s also one of the most widely available sweepstakes sites, with only five states on its restricted list as of this writing.
New players at WOW Vegas can snag 250,000 WOW Coins plus 5 free SC on sign-up. There’s also a first purchase bonus for 1.5 million WOW Coins plus 30 free SC.
No-Deposit Bonus: Use promo code WOWBONUS for 250,000 WOW Coins and 5 free SC
High 5 Casino
- Available in: AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DC, FL, HI, IL, IN, IA, KS, ME, MA, MN, MO, NE, NH, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WI, WY
- Prohibited in: AL, CT, DE, GA, ID, KY, LA, MD, MI, MS, MT, NV, NJ, NY, PA, RI, WA, WV
High 5 Casino is one of the most sparsely available online sweepstakes casinos. However, where it is available, it’s well worth a look. The site has an incredible game library and a third currency called Diamonds that can be used to redeem special perks.
Sign up for High 5 Casino to get 5 free Sweeps Coins, 250 Game Coins, and 600 Diamonds.
No-Deposit Bonus: 250 Game Coins, 5 free Sweeps Coins, and 600 Diamonds
McLuck
- Available in: AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DC, FL, HI, IL, IN, IA, KS, ME, MA, MN, MO, NE, NH, NM, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WI, WV, WY
- Prohibited in: AL, CT, DE, GA, ID, KY, LA, MD, MI, MS, MT, NJ, NV, NY, OH, WA
McLuck joins High 5 among the casinos with a long list of prohibited states. Even so, it’s completely worthy of your time if you live in a state that allows McLuck. New players get up to 27.5 free Sweepstakes Coins and 57,500 Gold Coins on sign-up and through a first purchase bonus.
Pulsz
- Available in: AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, UT, VT, VA, WI, WY
- Prohibited in: AL, CT, ID, LA, MI, MS, MT, NV, NY, TN, WA, WV
Pulsz is renowned for its mobile app and game library, both of which are offered in numerous states. Only a handful of regions currently prohibit Pulsz, so players in most markets can sign up for 2.3 free SC, 5,000 GC, and a first purchase offer for 400,000 GC and 40 free SC.
Chumba Casino
- Available in: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MS, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, UT, VT, VA, WI, WY
- Prohibited in: CT, ID, MI, MT, NV, WA
Chumba offers its sweepstakes casino platform in the vast majority of US states. Only six states are prohibited, meaning players in many areas can snag two million Gold Coins and 2 free Sweeps Coins on sign up, plus $30 worth of Gold Coins for only $10 as an optional first purchase bonus.
Claim Your No-Deposit Bonus: Click to claim 2,000,000 Gold Coins and 2 free Sweeps Coins
LuckyLand Slots
- Available in: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MS, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, UT, VT, VA, WI, WY
- Prohibited in: CT, ID, MI, MT, NV, WA
LuckyLand Slots is run by VGW Limited, the same company behind Chumba. So it makes sense that it’s not available in the same exact states. New players can snag 10 free Sweeps Coins and 7,777 free Gold Coins on sign-up. There’s also a first purchase offer for half-off—the $10 package is $4.99 for players who opt in.
Grab Your Bonus: 7,777 Gold Coins and 10 free Sweeps Coins
What is the difference between sweepstakes and real-money casinos?
Sweepstakes are generally offered in more states than their real money counterparts. This is because they operate under sweepstakes rules. Instead of depositing or withdrawing, sweepstakes casinos let you buy standard currency (Gold Coins, usually) and use it to play for fun. Purchases may also come with some free Sweeps Coins (premium currency), which you can eventually redeem for real prizes, including money. Using Sweepstakes Coins is the equivalent of entering a sweepstakes.
Real-money casinos are legal in only a handful of states (Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia). They allow real money online play, and you can directly withdraw winnings.
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Cole Rush has more than 10 years of experience writing for the gambling industry. He covers every corner of the gambling world, including real-money casinos, sports betting, and sweepstakes casinos. Cole also makes crossword puzzles for his newsletter The New Dork Times, and he reviews books for The Quill To Live.