We checked every Idaho sweepstakes casino that still lets you in — and yes, the picture’s super sharp. If coins turn into prizes, you’re out. Idaho Code §18-3801 nails that down hard: anything with redemption value is gambling, full stop.
Renzo A.
Content Writer
Last updated
25 July 2025
All six picks above are social casinos — not sweepstakes casinos. That’s not just a cute label; it’s what makes them legal in Idaho.
Here’s the short version: social casinos let you play with coins or chips, but nothing you win can be turned into cash, gift cards, or anything with real-world value. That’s the key detail that keeps them outside Idaho’s gambling definition in §18-3801, which bans anything that lets you risk coins for prizes.
If you want a deeper dive into how social casinos work, what they offer, and where they fit legally, you can get that here in our social casino guide.
Restricted sweepstakes casinos in Idaho
Idaho bans any game that lets you risk something for a chance-based win — and that includes sweeps coins.
Under Idaho Code §18-3801, gambling is defined as “risking any money, credit, deposit or other thing of value for gain that depends on chance.”
→ If a digital coin can turn into cash, that coin is a “thing of value” under this law. [Source: Idaho Statutes §18-3801]
Free-to-play doesn’t equal legal. If you got prize coins through a daily bonus, mail-in entry, or purchase bonus — and they can be redeemed — you’ve crossed the line. The state considers that gambling, even without a direct payment.
→ The law doesn’t require money to be at stake — just something of value. [Source: §18-3801]
Idaho only allows gambling in three specific cases:
The state-run lottery
Pari-mutuel betting on horse races
Licensed charitable games (like bingo or raffles)
→ Those are spelled out in Idaho Constitution Article III, Section 20 — everything else is blocked. [Source: Idaho Const. art. III, §20]
Sweepstakes casinos like Chumba and Global Poker don’t allow cashouts for any of you Idaho players — and it’s not a policy decision. It is pure legal survival.
→ These platforms geoblock prize redemptions because paying you out would expose them to criminal risk under §18-3802, which enforces the gambling ban. [Source: Idaho Statutes §18-3802]
Here’s what the law allows: games where your coins don’t mean anything. No prize pool, zero redemptions, and absolutely no currency you can cash out.
→ That’s why legal play in Idaho today means no winnings — just gameplay.
You can still click in. You might even get to play. But if the site gives you coins that unlock something with value — even a gift card, even through free entries — you’ve stepped over the legal line.
Here’s what that means:
| ✅ What You Can Play | ❌ What You Can’t |
| Play-only casinos with a single in-game currency | Anything with prize redemptions |
| Coins that unlock slots, boosts, or levels — but never payouts | Sites that offer gift cards, cash, or crypto for wins |
| No prize wallet, no redemption page, no “cash out” button | Dual-currency models (Gold + Sweeps Coins) |
| Platforms like BetRivers.net, Slotomania, and Gambino Slots | Chumba, Global Poker, LuckyLand (blocked or stripped in ID) |
📜 Why it’s allowed
💡 What to look for before you play
Idaho does not have a separate sweepstakes statute or licensing framework.
Sweepstakes games are judged under the same gambling laws as any other chance-based activity. There is no registration, oversight body, or enforcement program specifically for sweepstakes.
Under Idaho Code §18‑3801, gambling includes “risking any money, credit, deposit or other thing of value” on a game of chance.
If a coin or token — even a free one — can be redeemed for something with real-world value (cash, gift cards, crypto), that makes it gambling.
Idaho Code §18‑3802 makes it a misdemeanor to engage in or promote gambling that isn’t specifically allowed under state law. That includes prize-based sweepstakes casinos.
To avoid being classified as gambling in Idaho, a sweepstakes must:
✔ Provide a clear and working no-purchase entry option
✔ Avoid using coins or entries that can be redeemed for anything of value
✔ Never mix chance-based gameplay with real-world rewards
Fail any of these, and it’s not a sweepstakes — it’s illegal gambling.
As of July, 2025, there are no new bills proposed to regulate, legalize, or license sweepstakes casinos in Idaho. Enforcement remains based on existing law.
We reviewed everything that still loads in Idaho. And we’re not guessing: if a site gives out coins that turn into prizes — even through a mail-in — it doesn’t meet Idaho’s legal bar.
Here’s what we recommend, and what we won’t:
We stand behind social casinos only.
These platforms use single-coin systems that stay entirely inside the game. No prize wallet, no redemption options, no grey area.
If you’re just here to spin and collect — not to win anything real — social casinos are the safe space. That’s why BetRivers.net, Slotomania, and Gambino Slots made our picks this month.
We don’t list sweepstakes casino sites that let you turn coins into cash, gift cards, or crypto.
Not because we don’t like the gameplay — because Idaho law makes those platforms illegal. No prize system clears §18‑3801, and no exception applies. That includes dual-wallet models like Stake.us or BCGame.us. If they’re still accessible, redemption will be shut off.
Idaho doesn’t leave room for interpretation. The Constitution and statutes are clear:
→ Only lottery, pari-mutuel, and licensed charity games are legal.
→ Anything else — especially with prize redemptions — gets flagged under criminal code.
So we’ve drawn the same lines the law does.
Compare Idaho sweepstakes rules and top sites with those of bordering states.
No. Idaho doesn’t allow any sweepstakes casino that lets you redeem coins for cash, crypto, or prizes. Even if you never spend a dollar, it’s still covered under Idaho Code §18-3801. That’s why these sites either block Idaho users or remove all redemptions.
You can open some of the sites, but they won’t let you redeem anything. If there’s a prize wallet, it will be disabled. If redemptions are still active, the platform is breaking the law — and you’re not protected.
Only social casinos. These use coins that stay inside the game. No dual wallets, no redemption options, no prizes. That’s the only format Idaho law doesn’t touch.
Because Idaho defines gambling as risking anything of value for gain, whether or not you paid. That includes sweeps coins, even when they’re free. These sites geoblock redemptions so they don’t get flagged under §18-3802.
No. The law doesn’t care what you do with the coins — it only looks at what they can do. If redemptions are possible, the model is illegal. That includes prize shops, cashouts, or even gift card pages.
Idaho Code §18-3801 defines what counts as gambling. If coins or entries hold any value, they fall under that rule. Idaho Code §18-3802 sets the penalty for using or offering those games inside the state. There are no exceptions for online platforms.
No. Idaho has no sweepstakes statute, no licensing, and no oversight for contests. If a promotion mixes chance and value, it’s judged under gambling law — not as a separate sweepstakes.
The law applies to participation. If a platform offers gambling features and you use them — even through free coins — you’re inside the scope of §18-3802. If redemptions are blocked and the coins have no value, you’re not.
