Sweepstake casinos are legal in the entire US except for Washington. Residents of Idaho can play at sweepstakes casinos but only with gold coins (free currency).

Every sweepstake casino has the right to restrict access to additional states, and litigation might lead to further state restrictions in the future. This page will help you stay up-to-date with the best sweepstake casinos’ legal states and the laws surrounding this casino type.

For now, almost all US players over 18 years old can legally play online sweepstakes games. Their no-purchase-necessary nature doesn’t just make them legal – you can grab no deposit bonuses and play free online slots, roulette, keno, blackjack, and more games for a chance at real money prizes.

Best Sweepstakes Casinos’ Legal States

The list of sweepstakes casinos worth your attention is ever-changing, with new casinos launching regularly. Some enter our blacklist because they fail to provide an adequate gaming experience, while others rightfully take their spot at the top of the food chain.

The table above highlights the best sweepstakes casinos and their restrictions. If you aren’t a resident of Washington and Idaho and are over 18 years old, you can sign up for an account and start playing free online casino games with any of these operators in less than a minute.

In Which States Can You Play Sweepstake Casinos?

As you can see, almost anyone in the US can join and play sweepstakes games for real money. Sweepstakes laws make these gaming hubs legal everywhere except Washington. Idaho has placed restrictions on the virtual currencies you can use, enabling social gameplay exclusively. Canadian residents outside Quebec can also join and play sweepstakes casino games for real cash prizes.

Additional states might restrict sweepstakes casinos in the future. Sweepstakes are regulated at a federal level, and ongoing cases might affect their legal status as new rulings come out. For instance, Washington regulates sweepstakes casinos like real money online casinos after court cases highlighting players spending thousands of dollars to fund their gaming in 2018.

Watch out this space for any updates to the USA sweepstakes casinos’ legal status.

States Where Sweepstakes Casinos Are Illegal

Sweeps cash casinos are explicitly prohibited in:

• Washington
• Idaho

Florida and New York have laws in place restricting sweepstakes winnings from a single drawing (a single win on casino games) to $5,000. Any winnings exceeding this amount are considered void.

States Where Selected Sweepstakes Casinos Are Illegal

Despite our statements in this guide, it is important to read the terms and conditions of every sweepstake casino you are planning to join. This will help you verify the legality of the sweepstake casino in your state.

Each operator is free to place additional restrictions, and sites like Funrize, McLuck, and Stake block access to users in the following states:

• Wyoming
• New York
• Kentucky
• Georgia

It is unclear why this is the case, but we imagine they know something that we don’t. For instance, if there is case law where a sweepstake casino had to pay large fines in those states, they might choose to restrict access to avoid similar issues in the future.

How Are Sweepstakes Casinos Legal?

Sweepstakes casinos are legal because they don’t provide real money games. They are a mix of sweepstakes contests and standard online casinos.

They are primarily entertainment venues like social casinos, offering free casino games. You can find slots, blackjack, roulette, fish games, video poker, and more casino-style games on these platforms.

What distinguishes them from real money casinos is the way they do business. Instead of USD, players use virtual coins to play. One currency is used for fun play (Gold Coins) and the second one is for promotional play (Sweeps Coins).

Users can seamlessly switch between the two, and both are provided for free on sign-up or through special bonuses. Players are free to purchase the gold coins currency for real money, and the sweepstake casino provides free sweeps coins as a bonus. When the bonus coins are played at least once on the games, sweeps coins can be redeemed for cash prizes or gift cards. The exchange rate is usually set at 1SC of $1.

In essence, the use of virtual currencies and their free flow is what makes sweepstakes casinos legal under sweepstakes laws. These laws are what make sweepstake casinos legal in almost all US states in contrast to online casinos.

Online Casinos vs. Sweepstakes Legal States

US online casinos that offer real money gaming first became legal in 2012. States have been slowly progressing in legalizing them on a state-by-state basis. Currently, real money online casinos are legal in:

• Connecticut
• Michigan
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia

Players in those states are better off with casinos like DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars. Elsewhere, sweepstakes casinos are the best legal alternative.

Social casinos are also legal in every state, but they do not provide real money winning opportunities. On the other hand, offshore online casinos based and regulated in Panama, Costa Rica, and Curacao break the law by accepting US players. Playing there is possible but illegal and likely to result in having your funds stolen.

Sweepstakes Casinos Near Me

Land-based internet cafe sweepstakes have been popular for over 20 years. When online casinos were still a new thing and Nevada was the main place to gamble for real money, internet cafe venues employed proprietary software to offer casino-style games locally.

Like on today’s online sweepstakes casinos, users paid for time and used the minutes to gamble. This way the internet sweepstakes cafes remained on the right side of the law.

Some popular sweepstakes casinos near you include:

• Internet Cafe Games – 1712 Pioneer Ave STE. 7000, Cheyenne, WY 82001, United States
• El Dragon 777 Sweepstakes – 3512 M Yarbrough Dr Suite A, El Paso, TX 79925
• Red Dragon Sweepstakes – 10725 N Loop Dr, Socorro, TX 79927, United States
• Grand Sweeps Casino – 911 Fayetteville St, Durham, NC, USA
• Sam’s Search Sweepstakes – 2814 Buckner Blvd, Dallas, TX 75227, United States

Although these gaming cafes are still available and legal, they are nothing like online casinos. They feature a handful of games, low winning potential, and their games operate without a random number generator. Game outcomes can be manipulated and often hold up to 50% of the money wagered.

Online sweepstakes casinos might not be subject to the same strict regulations real money online casinos are, but they still host games by reputable iGaming developers. In most cases the same games you will find at online casinos.

An important thing to remember is that internet sweepstakes cafes have also recently emerged online. They present themselves as sweepstakes casinos, but still feature illegitimate games, unfair rules, sketchy payment systems, and often refuse to pay out.

Keep an eye on our reviews and guides to stay safe while playing at online sweepstakes casinos.

Minimum Age to Play at Sweepstakes Casinos

Sweepstakes casinos are legal for players who are 18 years old or older.

Like with state restrictions, a sweepstake casino might set the minimum age limit to play at 21. It is entirely within their discretion and something we applaud since sweepstakes casino games can be as addictive and potentially harmful as real money online casinos. The latter also place their minimum age limit at 21, despite laws in some states making it legal to play if you are 18+.

How To Find The Best Sweepstakes Casino In Your State

The main issue with online sweepstakes casinos when compared to real money online casinos is lack of regulation.

Since these gaming platforms aren’t classed as online casinos, they are legal as long as they meet three criteria:

• Owned and operated by a registered company.
• They don’t use real money but virtual currencies.
• They provide access to the games at no cost.

If you don’t want to read our reviews for a quick answer to whether X sweepstake casino is legal, you must look out for those three criteria. Check out who owns the sweepstake casino, their virtual currencies and what they mean, and the range of bonuses. Coin purchases are always provided, but there should be enough sweep bonuses to make them optional.

Since online sweepstake casinos don’t require a license to operate and aren’t regulated, search for platforms featuring games from renowned iGaming companies. Names like NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, and Evolution wouldn’t associate themselves with an illegal business.

Other aspects to consider during your search include:

• User reviews
• Years in operation
• Customer support
• Banking methods
• Terms and conditions

Our banners feature legal and top sweepstakes casinos that excel in all these areas. You can access them on any device and play free casino games in less than a minute with any of these.

Final Thoughts

Sweepstakes casinos like Chumba and Global Poker raised some eyebrows when they first launched. It has now been over a decade, and their popularity is still surging. Many states have looked into their compliance with sweepstakes laws and whether these venues are legal.

The current legal landscape is dynamic, with each operator free to set their own restrictions. But the rule of thumb is that anyone over 18 can legally play sweepstakes casinos games and redeem cash prizes everywhere in the US and Canada except Washington, Idaho, and Quebec.

The experience is very similar to the one provided by regulated real money online casinos in CT, NJ, MI, PA, and WV. One could say even superior, with sweepstakes bonuses available regularly and an even larger collection of games. We urge you to try and see while keeping in mind their potentially addictive nature.

Finally, be cautious when selecting a gaming platform due to the little oversight and regulation of sweepstakes casinos.