Reports from the official Stake.us subreddit suggest that the popular sweepstakes casino Stake.us will place Illinois accounts into ‘Redeem Only’ mode starting May 19, 2026.
Players will still be able to log in and claim remaining balances, but will lose access to games, purchases, promotions, and codes for free Stake Cash, essentially rendering the platform unviable for residents in the Prairie State.
User PuttyDev posted the email he received from Stake.us in the subreddit, and we can assume all other Illinois-based members received the same message:
“We wanted to let you know that starting May 19, 2026, Stake.us will no longer be available to customers residing in Illinois.
From that date, affected accounts will be placed into Redeem Only mode. This means you’ll still be able to log in and redeem any remaining balance, but you won’t be able to:
- Play games
- Make purchases
- Participate in promotions
- Request postcards for free Stake Cash or generate codes
We’re truly sorry for the inconvenience this may cause. We’ve loved having you as part of the Stake.us community and appreciate the time you’ve spent with us.
If you believe this doesn’t apply to you for example, if you do not live in Illinois, please reach out to our support team at support@stake.us or use Live Support Chat. If we can verify your location with valid identification, your account access will remain unchanged.
Thanks again for being with us,
The Stake.us Team”
User Ok-Definition-3548 said:
“Yup I got the email too. Sucks but it is what it is.”
Stake.us Isn’t The Only Casino Exiting Illinois Amid Crackdown
The news comes amid a broader crackdown by the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB), which has issued cease-and-desist letters to more than 60 online operators. It was one of the biggest waves of C&Ds we’ve seen, and included major brands like Chumba, McLuck, Modo.us, and – importantly – Stake.us.
The IGB, in collaboration with the state Attorney General, cited potential violations of the Illinois Criminal Code (720 ILCS 5/28-1(a)(12)), which bans operating online gambling for “money or other thing of value.”
Sweepstakes casinos usually operate in a gray area, offering free Gold Coins and redeemable Sweeps Coins, and operators argue these tokens have no value until redeemed, but the IGB is rejecting that interpretation, treating these platforms as illegal gambling in Illinois.
There was also renewed talk of full iGaming regulation in Illinois when HB 4797 was filed earlier this year, but so far the bill has made little progress, remaining stuck in committee without any hearings or votes scheduled.
Either way, it’s clear Illinois is trying to create a hostile environment for sweeps sites right now, and we’ve seen big names other than Stake.us pull out recently. These include:
We’ve even seen gaming providers like Hacksaw Gaming and Evolution pulling out of Illinois.
Next Steps for Stake.us Players in Illinois
For Illinois-based members of Stake.us, there’s now a limited window to enjoy the platform before May 19 – less than two months left. We would not recommend using a VPN to skirt the upcoming ban as this violates the site’s T&Cs and could cause problems when it comes to redeeming funds.
Fortunately, Stake.us is a site that likes to offer an indefinite period where SC redemptions are still possible, but we’d recommend sending in any redemption requests as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Stake.us accounts outside Illinois will remain unaffected.
And if you’re in Illinois, there are still plenty of IL social casinos still offering a sweepstakes platform there. Fortunately, there’s also no anti-sweepstakes bill passing through the state legislature this session, which would usually be a much more concrete deterrent to operators than C&Ds.
We’ll continue to monitor the situation closely.
Author: Alex Windsor
Updated:
