For social casino players in Montana and Connecticut, the start of October marked the point at which sweepstakes casinos became officially outlawed in these states.
Montana and Connecticut are two of the four states in 2025 to have an anti-sweeps bill signed off by the Governor – that happened in May and June respectively. The other two states are Nevada and New Jersey, incidentally.
Montana’s SB555 didn’t include a start date in its wording, but according to the Montana Code Annotated:
“Every statute adopted after January 1, 1981, takes effect on the first day of October following its passage and approval unless a different time is prescribed in the enacting legislation.”
Therefore, SB555 came into effect on October 1 this year.
Connecticut has a similar procedure, but its SB1235 bill explicitly stated a start date of October 1 anyway.
So both of these two states are now jurisdictions in which sweepstakes casinos cannot operate.
Why Sweepstakes Casinos Are Now Illegal in Montana and Connecticut
In the case of Montana, the definition of ‘internet gambling’ – which is illegal – was amended:
“The term includes online casinos, by whatever name known, which constitute internet gambling and therefore are prohibited. This includes but is not limited to any platform, website, or application that knowingly transmits or receives gambling information, allows consumers to place a bet or wager using any form of currency, and makes payouts of any form of currency.”
In the case of Connecticut, this section in its bill was crucial:
“No person shall conduct or promote a sweepstakes or a promotional drawing authorized by the provisions of section 53-278g that (1) is not related to the bona fide sale of goods, services or property, [or] (2) uses a simulated gambling device, or (3) allows or facilitates participation in any real or simulated online casino gaming or sports wagering, unless such person is licensed under chapter 229b.”
Here at SweepsKings we keep all our reviews up to date and have noted that the majority of sweepstakes casinos have left both Montana and Connecticut. There are, however, some casinos that haven’t officially left the two states yet.
We’d recommend that players be aware that any sweepstakes casino should not be operating in these two jurisdictions, and playing at such a site could mean engaging with a platform that is no longer compliant with state law.
Sweepstakes Casinos vs Social Casinos: What CT & MT Players Need to Know
While true sweepstakes casinos using Sweeps Coins are outlawed, social casinos – with no Sweeps Coins, only Gold Coins – are still operating in Montana and Connecticut.
This is because they fall outside of the definitions of gambling by not allowing players to wager with a thing of value. Examples of these sites are Gambino Slots and ZitoBox. In fact, MT’s SB555 includes a specific carveout that says:
“Online casinos that do not allow the use of currency of any kind are not considered a gambling activity and therefore are permitted.”
While Montana has no legal online casinos, Connecticut does permit real-money iGaming through tribal operators, but social casinos remain the closest alternative to sweeps casinos.
And if you think Gold Coins are still a currency because there’s ‘coin’ in the name, rest assured the name is purely symbolic in legal terms.
Gold Coins in social casinos generally cannot be redeemed for cash, prizes, or anything of monetary value, and only exist within the game for entertainment purposes. Because players are not risking anything of value to play, the platforms do not meet the legal definitions of gambling.
In some other markets where the format has been outlawed (like New Jersey), sweepstakes sites such as Chumba and Pulsz offer Gold Coin-play only, alongside Sweeps Coin-play in other legal states. However, in the cases of Montana and Connecticut, there are no such options currently. This is likely because these markets are not profitable enough.
That’s not to say things won’t change in the future, but for now, pure social casinos like the one listed below are the only options for Montana and Connecticut residents, as stated above.
Author: Joseph Allen
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