Ah, sweepstakes casinos. Out of nowhere, they’ve become a huge internet sensation, becoming almost as popular as traditional online casinos in the process. Now, sweeps casinos like Chumba and WOW Vegas have attracted millions of worldwide users, with many calling it the ‘sweepstakes revolution’. 

If you’ve never played inside a sweepstakes casino before, here’s what you need to know:

• Players don’t bet real money – they use virtual Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins
• All of the casino games are available to play for free 
• Cash transfers, cryptocurrencies, and gift cards are the main prizes

With most sweepstakes casinos, there’s also a strong focus on the social side of gameplay. Essentially, players are encouraged to interact, play games against each other (e.g. poker) and have fun. In a nutshell, that’s what sweeps casinos are all about, so you can probably understand why so many people like them. 

Since sweepstakes casinos truly exploded back in 2020, they’ve kept on rising. This upward trend has been most apparent in the US, where sweeps casinos are by far the most popular. However, there’s still slight confusion surrounding the legality of sweepstakes casinos and which specific states in the US allow them — so this guide is going to give you a simple breakdown. 

Which States Are Sweepstakes Casinos Legal? 

Sweepstakes casinos are currently legal in 48 out 50 US states, which is almost all of them. As of right now, only Washington and Michigan have explicitly implemented bans, so players in these two states have limited options. However, if you live in any of the remaining 48 states, it’s super easy to access online sweepstakes casinos, which is great news. 

✅ Legal	❌ Illegal
AL, AK, AZ, AR, AS, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, GU, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MA, MA, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, MP, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, TT, UT, VT, VA, VI, WA, WV, WI, WY	WA and MI

The main reason why sweepstakes casinos are legal in almost all US states is actually quite simple: they’re not classed as gambling sites. This is because sweeps casinos use Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, which are virtual currencies. And because they’re virtual, they have no real-world value in the eyes of most individual state laws, which is why sweeps casinos are given the big thumbs up. 

Interestingly, the same can’t be said about traditional online casinos, which are only legal in 6 out of the 50 US states. Because of this, it’s given sweepstakes casinos a major advantage. In a nutshell, sweeps casinos have a much wider audience that they can potentially tap into, which is something that traditional casino sites (who they see as rivals) are not too happy about. 

This recently led to the AGA (American Gaming Authority) issuing a statement condemning sweepstakes casinos. The AGA believes that sweepstakes casinos are hiding from gambling laws and avoiding paying taxes, which is why they’ve requested each state to review sweepstakes casinos and introduce new laws for them. If some states were to take action and start banning them, this would send shockwaves through the iGaming industry and really shake things up. For now, though, all sweepstakes casino sites in the remaining 48 states are free to operate as they like — and they’re experiencing major benefits from it. 

The Main US Sweepstakes Casinos (and How to Join Them) 

🏆 Stake.us

🏆 Chumba Casino

🏆 WOW Vegas

🏆 McLuck

🏆 Sweeptastic

The US sweepstakes casino market is booming at the moment. Because there’s so much demand, lots of different sites have joined the internet, offering a range of choice for the average player. One of the best parts about this is that almost all of the current sweepstakes casinos offer sign-up bonuses for new users, which you can find on sweeps casino comparison site, sweepstakecasinobonuses.com. For example, WOW Vegas currently has a sign-up offer of 1.75M WOW Coins plus 35 Sweeps Coins, which is definitely worth taking advantage of if you’re a brand-new player with little experience. 

How Sweepstakes Casinos Work

Do you understand what a sweepstakes casino is but are struggling to grasp how it actually works? It’s simple. After joining one for the first time, you’ll usually be given some Gold Coins. These Gold Coins can then be used to play all of the available casino games for free — no catch. Then, if you want to play for real prizes, you can start using Sweeps Coins instead. Any Sweeps Coins you win back can then be redeemed for a whole range of exciting prizes, which typically include: 

💰 Cash transfers

🪙 Cryptocurrencies

🎁 Gift cards

🧢 Merchandise

🏆 Random rewards

For instance, let’s say that you’re playing the Sweet Bonanza slot and win 25 Sweeps Coins while spinning the reels. With those coins, you might then navigate to the redemption menu and see that you can redeem an Amazon gift card for 20 SC. You could redeem the gift card and still have 5 SC leftover, which could then be used to keep playing the other games. 

The Future of Sweepstakes Casinos — More Legalization to Come? 

As of 2024, you now know that sweepstakes casinos are legal in 48 out of 50 American states. The likelihood of Washington or Michigan legalizing them over the next few years is unlikely, but it is possible. As for whether some states will decide to start banning sweepstakes casinos, it’s also probably not going to happen. After all, sweepstakes casinos are incredibly popular with both young and old generations, are a great gambling-free alternative for casino fans, and contribute significant tax revenue to states. Therefore, it’s a no-brainer to keep them legal — so don’t expect major changes anytime soon.