Stake.us Pulls Out of Maryland State

Sweepstakes casino users in Maryland just lost the ability to play at Stake.us.

The news came as something of a surprise, moving into effect immediately as the above-pictured email landed in inboxes yesterday.

Stake players in the Old Line State will see their account now switched to ‘Redeem Only mode’, meaning they can redeem funds left in their account, assuming they’re over the minimum threshold of 40-50 SC (amount varies depending on the crypto coin used). However, players will no longer be able to play games, make purchases, or participate in any promotions, so if their balance does not currently meet Stake’s minimum redemption requirements, they’re out of luck.

This now brings Stake.us’ tally of unavailable states to 14, making it one of the more restricted sweepstakes casinos, geographically speaking. The full list is Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Maryland.

Some other big platforms – like McLuck and High 5 – aren’t available in Maryland either, but it’s not always a restricted location – we’d say it’s only around one in six sweeps casinos. Three operators that still accept players from Maryland are WOW Vegas, Fortune Coins, and Zula, so if you need to switch, these could be good options.

Cease and Desist Letter Sent Earlier This Year

While a specific reason wasn’t provided by Stake, the withdrawal is likely in response to a cease and desist letter from the state gaming regulator.

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency (MLGCA) sent out letters to multiple sweepstakes operators at the start of this year, and Stake.us was one of these. It’s one of the most popular sweeps sites nationally in 2025, so we’re not surprised it was targeted. Another market leader, VGW has also been targeted by the MLGCA.

It’s worth noting, too, that lawmakers in Maryland recently debated a proposed change to state law that would have outlawed sweepstakes casinos, with penalties of up to 3 years in jail plus fines of up to $100,000 for illegal operators. However, the bill died when it failed to pass through the two legislative chambers before the end of this year’s session.

This leaves the regulator with no concrete options beyond sending cease and desist letters to operators they deem illegal. It’s simply up to the operator to decide if they want to carry on offering services in the state; it seems Stake.us has, in this instance, complied with the cease and desist request.

Originally published: April 29th 2025