Bills to legalize online casinos in specific US states keep cropping up every other year. However, it can take years to address these bills, with different legal departments and hurdles to get past. Currently, you can only gamble legally on online casinos in Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. While you wait for other states to fall in line, sweepstakes casinos are your best bet to fulfill your casino gaming needs.
Since they follow sweepstakes laws, they are legal in most US states except for Washington, Michigan, and Idaho. The great news is that finding one that is legal in your state is very easy, as you’ll learn in this guide. We’ll also show you the slight legal differences surrounding sweepstakes casinos within states, how they stay legal, and more.
A State-By-State Guide to Legal Sweepstakes Casinos
Sweepstakes casinos are legal alternatives for players who want to enjoy casino games in the US. However, there are slight differences in how these platforms operate in all states since they have varying laws.
For instance, you can access sweepstakes casinos from any US state besides Idaho and Washington due to their strict sweepstakes laws. While Michigan used to allow US players to enjoy games on sweepstakes gaming platforms, it recently started cracking down on them.
After an investigation for violating Michigan laws, Golden Hearts Games was asked to stop operating in Michigan. At the same time, VGW, the name behind top sweepstakes platforms like Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker, has pulled out of the state. With time, we can expect all top operators to pull out, thus adding Michigan to the list of primary states that don’t support sweepstakes casinos. Montana seems to be the next state to scrutinize sweeps casinos. The same brands + Pulsz are now out of MT, without any explanation as to why.
In addition, some states apply purchase and withdrawal restrictions. Good examples are Florida and New York, which cap your single win redemption limits at only $5,000. We recommend you go through the terms and conditions of your preferred sweepstakes platform and the sweepstakes laws in your state before registering. Look at the table below to learn more about the top sweepstakes casinos and their restricted states.
| Sweepstakes Casino | Restricted States |
|---|---|
| WOW Vegas | Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Michigan |
| Fortune Coins | Washington, Idaho |
| Stake.us | Washington, Nevada, Idaho, New York, Kentucky, Michigan, Vermont |
| Pulsz | Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Michigan, Montana |
| High 5 | Washington, Idaho, Washington DC, Michigan |
| McLuck | Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, and Washington (USA) |
| Vegas Gems | Washington, Nevada, Idaho |
| Chanced Casino | Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, and Washington |
| Funrize | Washington D.C., Idaho, Wyoming, Michigan, and Utah |
| NoLimitCoins | Washington D.C., Idaho, Wyoming, Michigan, and Utah |
| TaoFortune | Washington D.C., Idaho, Wyoming, Michigan, and Utah |
| Fliff | Washington, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, and Tennessee (Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, and South Carolina excluded from certain promotions) |
| Pulsz Bingo | Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Michigan, Montana |
| Bingoport | Washington, Idaho |
| LuckyBird.io | Washington, Idaho |
| Loyal Royal Casino | Washington, Idaho |
| Ding Ding Ding Casino | Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Illinois |
| Golden Hearts Games | Washington, Idaho, Michigan |
| SweepSlots | Washington, Idaho, Delaware, Kentucky |
| Chumba | Washington, Idaho, Michigan, Montana |
| Global Poker | Washington, Idaho, Michigan, Montana |
What are Sweepstakes Casinos? Are they Really Legal?
Sweepstakes casinos are legal alternatives to real money casinos that let you enjoy casino-style games like slots, blackjack, and roulette using virtual currencies. These casinos remain within legal boundaries due to the absence of real money gambling and the “no purchase required” policy – and are great for players in US states where real money gambling is not legal.
You can register at a sweepstakes casino and get free gold coins or sweeps coins to play. With these virtual currencies, US players can enjoy free games and win more coins without the compulsion to make a purchase except when they want to.
What’s more, winning cash directly at these casinos is impossible. Instead, the online casino allows you to redeem sweeps coins for cash prizes. These sweeps coins can’t be purchased as you only get them as a bonus when you buy a gold coin package, or via other promotions. With this, sweepstakes casinos can offer an experience like traditional online casinos while remaining legal.
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Find Out if Sweepstakes Casinos Are Legal in Your State
Sweepstakes casinos are typically legal in most states except for Washington, Idaho, and Michigan. While they may be supported in other states, they may have varying laws guiding them.
Running off to sign up on a sweepstakes gambling platform without proper research can cause you problems down the line. Therefore, before you pick a sweepstakes casino and register, we recommend you verify their reliability using the tips below:
Visit the Homepage and Check the Registration Form
A great way to determine if a sweepstakes casino is legal in your state is to visit it and click the register button. Most reliable sweeps casinos will include the list of accepted US states in their registration form. Go through the list, and if you find your state, it means it’s legal there. But if you don’t, we recommend you find an alternative.
Go Through the Terms and Conditions
While this may be a time-consuming and boring option, going through the T&Cs of the sweepstakes casino will provide you with vital information. Here, you can find the states the online casino offers its services including those it doesn’t.
Read our Reviews
Our specialists always do extensive research to find new sweepstakes casino sites and their legal states. We invest time that you may not have to provide information regarding the legality, bonuses, game offerings on sweepstakes casinos, and more.
Since we pride ourselves on accuracy, we also ensure the information is updated in case of legal changes so you are never blindsided. Simply head to our review page, quickly search for your preferred casino, and see if it is legal in your state.
How Sweepstakes Casinos Are Legal
You may be wondering; how do sweepstakes casinos manage to remain legal in the US when online casinos can’t? Here are some of the key reasons why:
No Licensing Necessary
Sweepstakes casinos don’t need a typical gambling license to operate since they are not considered gambling. Instead, the Federal Trade Commission, an independent agency, regulates them. According to this agency, a sweepstakes casino should be free to enter and not require any purchase to win.
They should also attach important information to their terms and conditions, like how to redeem prizes, odds of winning, and more. If a sweepstakes casino can follow these rules, it can stay legal in the US. Keep reading as we look deeper into these rules.
No Purchase Required
This is perhaps the most important rule that sweepstakes casinos follow to remain legal. Top sweeps casinos don’t require you to make any purchases EXCEPT if you decide to. Regardless of the sweeps casino you register on, you get free gold coins and sweeps coins to enjoy free online casino games. The ability to play for free is one of the reasons they fall under the sweepstakes casino category.
No Direct Prizes
While you can win cash prizes on sweepstakes casinos, you don’t get them directly like traditional online casinos. On sweepstakes casinos, you play casino-style games with sweeps coins through the premium mode.
You can’t purchase these sweeps coins as the casino gives you as a welcome bonus when you register or purchase a coin package. After playing with these sweepstakes coins, you can redeem them for cash prizes after gathering at least 50 – 100. Since it follows an indirect approach to offering you cash prizes, it does not fall under the “gambling” category and remains legal.
KYC Checks
To stay legal, a sweepstakes casino must carry out proper KYC or Know Your Customer checks. This becomes necessary before players can make a deposit or redeem cash prizes.
Legit sweepstakes casinos like WOW Vegas and Pulsz Casino carry out KYC checks by requesting your ID card, proof of address, and other related documents. This serves many purposes, including keeping players safe, and preventing money laundering, fraud, and other crimes.
Responsible Gaming Policies
While playing in a sweepstakes casino is not gambling, the dangers are just as severe. If you are not careful, you could develop a gambling problem playing games on sweepstakes casino platforms without the proper checks. Therefore, online sweepstakes casinos must have proper responsible gaming features in place.
In most cases, you’ll find a page dedicated to teaching players how to gamble responsibly, including useful features like deposit limits, cool-offs, self-exclusion, and instant account termination. Other times, you’ll find links to helpful third-party organizations that can aid players who are experiencing gambling addiction.
Legal & Operational Differences: Social Casinos, Sweepstakes, and Online Casinos
Sometimes, you may come across the terms social casinos, sweepstakes casinos, and online casinos used to refer to gambling platforms. In fact, many individuals tend to mix up social casinos with sweepstakes casinos, but they are not the same.
It is important to note the differences between each and how they work before you sign up to avoid legal problems down the line. Read on as we cover the differences between each:
- Social Casinos: These are casinos that allow you to play games for free. Like sweepstakes casinos, they are legal in US states where online gambling is illegal. However, you can only use gold coins to play for free on these platforms and can’t trade them for cash prizes. On the bright side, you can purchase more gold coins when you exhaust the ones you get for free.
- Sweepstakes Casinos: Sweeps casinos share some similarities with a social casino, except that you can play with both gold and sweeps coins. With the gold coins, you can play games for free for a chance to win more gold coins. Also, you can purchase more gold coins when you exhaust the free ones. On the other hand, the sweeps coins let you play in the premium mode. Once you have accumulated enough free sweeps coins, you can redeem them for real money prizes after fulfilling the wagering requirements. Unlike gold coins, you can’t purchase sweeps coins and only get them as a bonus.
- Online Casinos: These are your regular real money casino sites that let you deposit and gamble with real cash instead of virtual currencies. If you place a bet and win, you get real cash, which you can withdraw and use as you please. However, you can only gamble on these casino sites if you reside in Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Conclusion
As you can see, finding a legal sweepstakes casino in your state is very straightforward. Simply pick any of the sweepstakes online casinos covered in this guide, then read our reviews or check the T&Cs to see if it is legal in your state.
If yes, use our link to register and claim your free gold and sweeps coins to enjoy free casino-style games. We recommend you try out WOW Vegas, as you can claim up to 4.5SC + 8,500 WC without a purchase over three days to play your favorite games.
Author: Sara Miljkovic
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