Sweepstakes casinos are rapidly retreating from the US market as a growing number of states are ramping up enforcement through cease-and-desist orders and passing legislation targeting the free-to-play, dual-currency model.
Idaho, Michigan, and Washington have long been ineligible jurisdictions for sweepstakes casinos, but in the past few months, several others have moved towards prohibition.
Montana was the first to officially ban the platforms at the end of May. Connecticut and New York followed in June, while Nevada granted its gambling regulators more authority to prosecute operators from out-of-state, including sweepstakes casinos.
Elsewhere, Louisiana lawmakers also passed a ban, but Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed it, stating it was unnecessary. Since then, the state has sent a cease-and-desist order to 40 offshore and sweepstakes operators, with many now starting to comply.
Additionally, Maryland, Delaware, and Mississippi are among the states employing the same regulatory tactic, issuing cease-and-desist letters.
So, which platforms have complied, and who are staying rogue? See below a list of confirmed exits by Casinobeats in select states.
Every single sweepstakes casino that we’ve checked has now listed Montana as an ineligible jurisdiction.
The only exception is Luckybird.io, which continues to welcome players from Montana.
Sweepstakes casinos exit New York as early as March, when a Senate bill advanced through committees.
At the beginning of June, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office had shut down 26 platforms. That was followed by an official ban passed by the state legislature, pending Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature.
With that said, the following sweepstakes casinos no longer operate in New York:
Notably, Crown Coins, Luckybird.io, and Spinfinite still list New York as an eligible jurisdiction.
While the Louisiana governor vetoed the sweepstakes ban bill, Connecticut Gov. Joe Lombardo signed the ban on June 5, joining Montana.
Since then, most platforms have been exiting similarly to New York and Montana, with a few exceptions.
Platforms that still accept Connecticut players include: Crown Coins, Fortune Coins, Funzpoints, Spinfinite, Sportzino, The Money Factory, Yay Casino, and Zula Casino.
Meanwhile, Luckybird.io, which serves New York and Montana, does not accept players from Connecticut.
Nevada took a different approach from explicitly banning the platforms.
Instead, it passed a bill that gives state regulators more power to target and prosecute out-of-state operators without Nevada licenses who are operating illegally in the state, including sweepstakes casinos.
That has resulted in almost all platforms exiting the state. The only operators that Casinobeats confirmed to list the state as an eligible jurisdiction are sister sites Fortune Coins, Zula Casino, Sportzino, and Yay Casino.
Earlier this year, the Maryland Senate passed a bill banning sweepstakes, but the measure died in the House. Still, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency has stepped up and targeted over a dozen platforms.
Some like VGW’s Chumba Casino have not complied, but others have. They include:
The reason for the governor’s veto on the sweepstakes ban bill in Louisiana is that he believed state gambling regulators and authorities could force the platforms out without legislation.
Soon after his veto, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board announced that it had targeted 40 unlicensed offshore and sweepstakes casinos.
While the regulator didn’t release names, the following platforms have now exited the state:
The same day that the Louisiana Gaming Commission announced its action against sweepstakes casinos, the Mississippi Gaming Commission announced it had served several offshore casinos and Chumba Casino with cease-and-desist letters.
While Chumba has not complied, a few operators have chosen to leave:
The Delaware Division of Gaming Enforcement has been targeting sweepstakes casinos for over two years, albeit without much success initially.
In April, it announced it had served VGW’s LuckyLand Slots with a cease-and-desist order. Meanwhile, its sister site Chumba Casino was served almost two years ago. While it ignored the first order, VGW decided to withdraw from the state after receiving the April notice.
Sweepstakes platforms that no longer accept Delaware customers include:
In addition to the states above, many sweepstakes operators have chosen to exit other states. The most common ones are Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia:
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