How to Use This Information

The information provided here is organized by state and operator so you can easily see which sweepstakes coin games are available for free play in your state and from which operators. Before we get started with the details, I have listed some important definitions.

• Excluded States: This means residents of these states are unable to access sweeps casinos or redeem any prizes. Usually they will be unable to create an account too.
• Gold Coin Only: Free sweepscoin play is allowed, but you may not be able to redeem any prizes for sweepstakes coins.
• The Availability section represents how operators define themselves in regards to Terms & Conditions at time of last update; this data is subject to be changed at any time without advance notification.
• Classifications of states are made based upon published restrictions from each individual operator, not on independent legal analysis.

If your home state appears in more than one excluded list, it is likely a warning sign (not just operator caution) that legislative or regulatory action either has occurred or is happening now.

States Most Commonly Excluded by Sweepstakes Casino Operators

Although each operator has it’s own list, there is a central grouping of states that appear in nearly all of them. They are the higher risk jurisdictions from a legal/regulatory perspective; most operators steer clear of them irrespective of their size/compliance status.

Almost Universally Excluded

Residents of these states will have extremely limited if any options within the entire market.

• California
• Connecticut
• Idaho
• Michigan
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New York
• Washington

Frequently Excluded

Many of these states are found in a lot of, though not every single, operator restrictions list. How often you will see them is going to be different for each type of gaming software available and possibly also how much access that an operator will allow. Some operators may limit your ability to play with real money or at least only allow Gold Coins.

• Delaware
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• West Virginia

Why These States Are Restricted

The factors leading to each State’s “exclusion” can be categorized broadly as follows: enactment of legislation prohibiting or limiting the use of the Sweepstakes Model; enforcement action by Regulatory Agencies against specific operators; or, a long-standing, State-specific interpretation of current Gambling Laws treating Dual-Currency Platforms as illegal gambling operations.

Washington, Idaho and Michigan have been excluded for many years due to their very restrictive definition of Online Gaming leaving no wiggle room for the sweepstakes legal carve-out used by nearly all operators. Due to this restriction, operators chose to exclude residents of these States from their offerings rather than expose themselves to potential enforcement actions.

Exclusions resulting from more recent legislative activities occurred at the beginning of 2025. During this time, Montana, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and California passed legislation specifically designed to target Dual-Currency Sweepstakes Models. Unlike those states, however, Nevada elected to pass legislation empowering its State Regulators with the authority to enforce against sweepstakes operators instead of enact a total ban.

As the newest addition to this list of excluded states, Indiana recently passed a bill (enacted) to ban Sweepstakes Casinos effective on July 1st, 2026. As such, operators currently offering services in Indiana are now required to restrict access to Indiana residents prior to the above-mentioned date. Some operators have already started blocking Indiana residents proactively.

State Restriction Frequency Across Operators

The data provided in this table represents the number of times that each of the 50 U.S. states have appeared on an operator exclusion list (in addition to whether or not there has been legislation passed regarding their inclusion), and was prepared by this author as a reference guide to help illustrate which U.S. states are most restricted.

Gold Coin Only: A Middle-Ground Approach

Some casinos provide a partial remedy to residents living in states with legal sensitivity; Gold Coin only. Users will be able to use the non-redemption gold coin currency to play for free however they will not be able to enter into Sweepstakes Coins or claim any winnings. The Gold Coin only feature offers an almost demonstration/social style gaming experience similar to what you would find at a demo site versus a sweepstakes experience.

The Golden State (CA) has been the most significant Gold Coin only jurisdiction. Several of the larger online gambling companies in the industry currently offer CA players Gold Coin only, while others have left the state completely. There may be several factors contributing to their decision to stay within CA borders such as size of its population and/or possibly hedging their bets regarding possible clarification from regulators that will allow them to operate fully within the state.

A few operators handle NJ/NY in the same way as CA and most have banned these jurisdictions due to explicit legislative action taken in 2025. A couple dozen additional states (Tennessee, MS and others) also display as Gold Coin only on individual operator sites.

Indiana: A Key State to Watch

Indiana is worth special consideration for people interested in tracking these types of developments. On July 1, 2026, the State Legislature will enact a ban on sweepstakes casinos. By the time you read this, many residents of the state may still be able to gain access to some type of platform; however, it is rapidly coming to an end. Those operators which continue to allow players from Indiana (and have not already done so) are likely to block them before the law becomes effective. Indiana players using sweepstakes casino sites today would be wise to realize their access could be removed at any time, without much warning, as we approach the deadline.

How Operators Decide Which States to Restrict

There isn’t a uniform process for how sweepstakes casino Operators create their exclusion lists; each operator conducts their own legal analysis regarding which jurisdictions pose too high of an enforcement risk vs. Revenue opportunity. Therefore, two Operators who conduct similar business models and have similar legal exposure will likely have significantly different exclusion lists.

A number of factors are typically involved in the decision to exclude a state prior to formal action being taken.

1. Typically, public comments by a state attorney general regarding sweepstakes gambling (without filing a complaint) can trigger preemptive exclusion. Similarly, states with pending bills in committee that may move quickly, or those with aggressive enforcement histories in adjacent spaces such as fantasy sports and promotional gaming are also subject to preemptive exclusion.
2. Operators watch each other. If a larger platform with significant legal resources chooses to exit a state, smaller platforms will often follow weeks later, viewing the larger platforms’ exit as a signal that the risk calculus has changed. This herd behavior explains why certain states that have no explicit law regarding the sweepstakes model still appear on most exclusion lists.
3. Finally, compliance costs are another factor. Even in cases where counsel believes that the sweepstakes model is defensible in a particular jurisdiction, building and maintaining a compliance program, responding to regulatory inquiries, and managing potential enforcement proceedings requires resources. As such, for smaller Operators, it can be more cost-effective to simply exit a borderline jurisdiction than to invest in defending their presence in that jurisdiction.

What Happens to Existing Accounts When a State Is Added to the Exclusion List

One of the most practical issues users face with respect to accounts is what happens to an account once the user’s state becomes part of an operator’s exclusion list. In general, how an account behaves when a state is included on an operator’s exclusion list varies depending on the type of platform used and the terms of service (TOS) of each operator. As such, both unredeemed Sweepstakes Coins and pending withdrawal requests are governed by TOS.

Operators generally provide users some time frame after being added to a state’s exclusion list to fulfill any pending redemptions. That time frame can vary depending on the specific platform and the reason why the user was placed into a restricted status. Generally speaking, if a restriction occurs as a result of new legislation, operators seem to allow more time to complete redemptions prior to restricting access. Conversely, if a user is placed into a restricted status because of a precautionary or risk-based decision made by an operator, the time frame for completing redemptions may be less.

When a user has unredeemed Gold Coins that have no monetary value, those coins are usually lost by virtue of having an account terminated due to being located in a state subject to a restriction. When it comes to unredeemed Sweepstakes Coins, which do have monetary value, there is even more variation. While some operators may permit redemptions of Sweepstakes Coins that were requested prior to the effective date of a restriction imposed against the user, other operators may cancel all Sweepstakes Coins associated with that user’s account. It appears that only a very limited number of platforms have ever permitted existing Sweepstakes Coins to be converted to additional extended Gold Coins as some form of goodwill gesture; however, such practices should not be expected.

Therefore, users whose states are either currently subject to impending exclusions or are going to be restricted should attempt to redeem available Sweepstakes Coins/Prizes as quickly as possible rather than allowing balances to grow over time.

2025 Legislative Activity: A Turning Point

Prior to 2025, the major hurdles to the Sweepstakes Casino Model were largely based upon pre-existing State Statutes concerning Gambling which have been interpreted by courts (and regulatory agencies) over time. In contrast to the “sweepstakes” statute model; the above-mentioned state laws were passed with no consideration toward the Sweepstakes Casino Model. However, this all changed in 2025 when several States passed legislation that targeted the Dual-Currency Model.

Montana restricted the dual-currency model in a larger overhaul of its gaming codes. Both New York and New Jersey, who have substantial regulated gaming markets, prohibited the dual-currency model through new regulations. Shortly thereafter, California and Connecticut followed suit with their own legislative efforts.

The Nevada legislature took a different tack; instead of banning sweepstakes entirely, they gave the Nevada Gaming Control Board express authority to seek out violations by sweepstakes casino operators. While it may seem like an important distinction; this represents a reflection of Nevada’s role as a state running a mature, regulated gaming market, and therefore having an economic and institutional stake in preserving the integrity of that regulated gaming system. The result for sweepstakes casino operators will be functionally equivalent to being banned from operating in Nevada, because the risk of enforcement action from one of the most capable gaming regulators in the nation would prevent them from doing business in the state.

How to Check Your State’s Availability

The most definitive information on current availability by state is the operator’s Terms of Service. Almost all sweepstakes-style casinos have sections in their TOS outlining geographically restricted areas. The majority of these sites also have a separate area,  typically an Eligibility Section where they detail what states are eligible for participation. However, the language used in both types of documentation often makes them difficult to decipher and does not always reflect recent changes.

Some simple methods for determining whether your state has been geo-restricted from accessing a specific site:

STEP 1: Simply check the site’s TOS and enter your state into the search field.

STEP 2: Attempt to create an account using your home address. The vast majority of sites automatically block new accounts created from residents in non-participating states upon initial account sign-up.

STEP 3: Check for any state-specific FAQs or eligibility pages maintained by the larger online gaming companies.

STEP 4: Follow your local government for legislative updates. States tend to implement sweeping bans immediately after such laws pass and before any public notification occurs. This can occur even while you’re still logged-in to a previously active account.

Outlook: More Restrictions Are Likely

The trend line for casino sweepstakes’ legal availability in the U.S., indicates fewer options will be available as opposed to more, at least for the immediate future. The 2025 legislative wave took many operators by surprise and with the addition of Indiana as an exclusionary jurisdiction in 2026; momentum does not appear to have slowed.

There are numerous jurisdictions where preliminary legislative action and/or regulatory inquiry have occurred but no action has been formally taken. Many jurisdictions where preliminary activity exists, operators in these jurisdictions may already be assessing their level of exposure. For users the practical result is a narrowing of sweepstakes availability as compared to what existed prior to the recent legislation and regulation. The timeframe for this narrowing will depend upon each jurisdictions specific process.

Concurrently, there is a hypothetical scenario whereby a clear federal definition of sweepstakes emerges from either federal or broad based regulatory actions. Should such an emergence occur and in doing so define the sweepstakes model in a manner that legitimized it, then some or all of the existing exclusions would potentially be reversed. However, until this occurs, it remains speculation and as evidenced by current developments at the state level, provides little basis to believe that such an occurrence will happen anytime soon.

Until that day comes, the most conservative assumption appears to be that the number of jurisdictions that exclude sweepstakes casinos will increase. The number of companies offering sweepstakes casinos across all fifty (50) states will decrease. Readers who live in states where there is ongoing and/or anticipated legislative or regulatory action should check on the availability of sweepstakes casinos in their respective jurisdiction on a regular basis.

Disclaimer

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Sweepstakes casino availability is subject to change without notice. Readers should consult individual operator terms of service and seek independent legal guidance if needed. Laws and regulations in this area are evolving rapidly.