In this guide, we’ll introduce you the states where sweepstakes are legal in the United States. Our team at SweepCasinos.com has covered all the locations, so get ready to unravel legal status of each.
To quickly find the best platforms in your state and understand their legal status, we’ve created an interactive map to help you verify where sweepstakes casinos are – and aren’t – legal.
To understand why sweepstakes casinos are such a big deal in the US, you must first understand their relationship to a normal online casino, or rather, why they are different.
Let’s start with how a traditional online casino works: After you sign up, you can wager real money on digital versions of games like slots, blackjack, roulette or poker. You deposit funds, place bets, and – if you win – receive real-money payouts. Because this involves risking money for the chance to win, it meets the legal definition of gambling under U.S. law.
These platforms offer you games very similar to those found in regular online casinos – such as sweepstakes slots, keno or blackjack – but operate under a completely different legal model. Instead of using real money to place bets, you play with virtual currency provided by the operator. Because you’re not betting real money, but rather a virtual substitute, these sites do not fall under traditional gambling laws.
And that’s exactly why sweepstakes casinos are legal in most U.S. states – they’re classified as promotional sweepstakes, not gambling. Only three states – Washington, Idaho and Nevada – have explicitly restricted access to them.
Only seven US states have fully legalized online casino gambling as of 2025: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Nevada.
Source:
🔗 World Population Review – Online Gambling Legal States 2025
Sweepstakes casinos are allowed in almost every state in the U.S. because they operate under sweepstakes laws rather than gambling laws. To be classified as such, they must offer a “no purchase necessary” option, making them legally distinct from real-money casinos. Only Washington, Idaho and Nevada currently restrict complete access to sweepstakes casinos.
Source: 15 U.S. Code § 41 – FTC Promotional Law
Requires clear rules, “no purchase necessary” entry, and fair prize distribution.
🔗 Cornell Law: 15 U.S. Code § 41
In the United States, gambling laws are not set at the federal level – they are largely determined by the individual states. This means that each state has the autonomy to decide what types of gambling are allowed within its borders, including whether or not to allow sweepstakes casinos.
As a result, your experience with sweepstakes platforms may vary depending on your location. Some states allow full access to games and prize redemptions, while others may block the platforms entirely or restrict certain features.
We’ve divided the United States into five regions to help you explore the legal landscape.
Use our state-by-state breakdown to:
1. âś… Check to see if sweepstakes casinos are allowed where you live.
2. 🎰 Locate the best platforms available in your area.
3. đź“ś Understand how state-specific laws affect your gaming experience.
| Arizona | Oklahoma |
| New Mexico | Texas |
| Alabama | Arkansas |
| Florida | Georgia |
| Kentucky | Louisiana |
| Mississippi | North Carolina |
| South Carolina | Tennessee |
| Virginia | West Virginia |
| Connecticut | Delaware |
| Maine | Maryland |
| Massachusetts | New Hampshire |
| New Jersey | New York |
| Pennsylvania | Rhode Island |
| Vermont |
According to projections from Statista Digital Market Insights, the US online gambling market will continue to increase in the coming years, touching the level of almost 40 billion dollars by 2029.
Source:
đź”—Statista -Gambling in the United States – Statistics & Facts
Based on the laws of different US states, sweepstakes and contests are a type of lottery or gambling, but not the illegal type. The line between legal and illegal lottery and prize contests is sometimes clear, but other times invisible.
Source:
The landscape of sweepstakes gaming can change rapidly, but SweepCasinos allows you to stay in touch with the latest changes as we use a comprehensive casino rating system. See what we explore and learn how we rate the top sweepstakes casino for all US states.
Top-rated sweepstakes platforms have dozens and hundreds of titles, from slots to table games like poker online, blackjack online, and online roulette to modern gambling options like crash and fish games. Of course, the better and wealthier the platform, the more games it can support and the more options visiting players can have.
The whole point of a sweepstakes gaming website is to provide a free-to-play mode where players can enjoy their favorite titles without needing to invest money. We consider regular sweepstakes bonuses and promotions like welcome, daily, weekly, and monthly bonuses, social media contests, and special events when ranking such websites.
While sweepstakes platforms are all about free gambling, many customers like depositing into their accounts for the additional thrill and excitement they get gambling with real money. With that in mind, gaming websites must provide multiple deposit and withdrawal casino payment methods and guarantee the utmost security of their visitors’ funds.
Issues are inevitable regardless of the quality of the website. That’s why reliable and accessible customer support is one of the elements we investigate and rank. You can rest assured the next time you run into problems on the websites we recommend, you’ll have someone to rely on.
As US states can have differing laws regarding sweepstakes gaming, exploring the legality of these websites is pivotal. We try our best to stay up-to-date with rules and regulations gaming platforms must abide by and always investigate licenses confirming these actions.
As you head on your merry way to explore the best sweepstakes casinos in the country, remember that Sweepcasino is by your side. Read our detailed platform reviews, find the most mind-blowing bonuses, investigate the gambling scene in specific states, and, most importantly, enjoy your gaming journey!