If you live in Missouri and are thinking about trying a sweepstakes casino, the first thing most players want to know is whether they’re crossing any legal lines by doing so. That concern exists because real money casino sites are not allowed to operate online in the state.
By Nemanja M.
Sweepcasinos Choice
550K GC + 55 SC
By Jerard V.
Welcome bonus
GC 20,000 + SC 20
By Jerard V.
Welcome bonus
100,000 GC + 3 SC


Missouri law doesn’t leave mucho room for traditional online gambling. If you have to pay to play a game that gives out prizes, it usually falls under the state’s gambling and lottery rules. That’s the line gaming operators are designed to stay away from.
So, it all comes down to the payment element. Missouri defines a lottery as having three things: a prize, chance, and consideration under RSMo § 572.010(7). Remove any of these three elements, and the written definition no longer holds.
Sites that offer sweepstakes understand that games are about luck and prizes, so they base their model on letting players enter and play for prizes without paying. As long as that free access is real and not just theoretical, the model holds up.
That setup is why prize play runs on Sweeps Coins. You should be able to collect those coins for free through daily logins, mail requests, or other no cost options, with the same access you would get from a purchase. You can still buy Gold Coins, but those stay limited to play only games and never control prize wins or redemptions.
Sweepstakes casinos are available to Missouri players, and for many people they work without issues. Still, the way these sites operate creates a few things you should be aware of before you play. None of them are hidden, but they do tend to show up only once you look a little closer.
You are playing at a site that is not licensed by Missouri. Authorities do not verify payout accuracy. Game results are not audited. No one will step in if a withdrawal stalls. If you have an issue, it stays between you and the operator running the platform.
Sweepstakes casinos have already been hit with lawsuits that challenge how they operate, including cases filed in Missouri courts (Motter, 2025). It’s all about whether free entry actually gives players real access to prize games. With the legal pressure piling up, it’s no surprise that operators tend to respond by restricting access. And Missouri players have already seen sites stop accepting accounts or pause activity while cases were still unresolved.
When you play at a MO sweepstakes casino, you’ve got to follow the site’s rules. At some point, these rules become crystal clear, especially once you start using any of your winnings. We’ve got identity verification, potential payout limits, potential wagering requirements, and so on. With no outside oversight, the most important thing is how clearly the site explains those terms and whether it uses them the same way every time.
At a Missouri sweepstakes casino, you should be able to play for free. But how free access works can be different on each website. Daily bonuses might be small, mail requests can take weeks to process, and free options might appear less often than paid ones.
These differences will become important if you play regularly. If it takes more time to earn free Sweeps Coins or if they’re more difficult to use, your experience will change. Even if the site still offers free entry, you may prefer to play for money.
A Missouri sweepstakes casino will handle all aspects of your account, including verification, redemptions, and basically everything in between.
You might notice this around payout time, when a redemption can result in extra checks, requests for more documents, or a closer look at your activity. Sometimes, it happens quickly. Other times, it doesn’t.
Without outside review, your experience depends on how the site handles these situations, how clearly it explains what’s happening, and how consistent its decisions are from one case to the next.
Big-name sweeps sites you can’t use in Missouri


Sweepstakes casinos currently operate in Missouri for the reasons explained above. The model relies on free entry and avoids payment being required to play for prizes. That structure is now being tested.
Right now, the biggest pressure is not coming from new bills. It is coming from the courts.
A class-action lawsuit was filed in the Jackson County Circuit Court at the end of October 2025 (Motter, 2025). Missouri resident Justin Killham filed the case against Sweepstakes Limited, the company that operates Stake.us. The lawsuit also names Adin Ross and Drake for their role in promoting the website.
The case says that Stake.us isn’t really a sweepstakes casino. KCTV5 explains that the issue is how the platform bundles Gold Coins with Stake Cash. You can use Stake Cash on casino-style games and redeem it for U.S. dollars at a one-to-one rate.
The lawsuit also touches on wagering requirements, which determine when money can be withdrawn. Put simply, you must continue playing before you can consider a withdrawal. According to the argument, this changes the way free entry works, especially compared to the free access described earlier on this page.
Promotions also play a big role. KCTV5 says Drake and Adin Ross got paid millions to promote the platform. The content they created was said to give players the wrong impression about how the site works and whose money is actually being wagered.
As of now, the case hadn’t been heard yet and was still unresolved. The lawsuit is asking for damages, class status for Missouri players, and an injunction to stop Stake.us from operating in the state.
Right now, Missouri lawmakers haven’t introduced a bill specifically about sweepstakes casinos. There aren’t any plans to ban or regulate them as gambling.
That doesn’t mean the topic is off the radar. It means the state hasn’t decided on a direction yet.
Several states have already moved against the sweepstakes model. In places like Indiana and New Jersey, lawmakers have updated gambling laws to treat dual-currency systems as gambling instead of promotions.
Missouri legislators are watching those changes. They show one possible path forward, either by closing what is seen as a loophole or by pulling these platforms into a regulated system.
Missouri has already taken steps to get online sports betting up and running. Licensing, taxes, and oversight by the Missouri Gaming Commission are now part of the state’s gambling framework.
Sweepstakes casinos are a whole other ball game. They’re not licensed, they don’t pay taxes, and they’re not regulated the same way. Once online betting is regulated, the difference is going to be harder to ignore.
Licensed casinos in Missouri now have a clear interest in the outcome. They operate under strict rules and pay gaming taxes. Sweepstakes casinos do not.
As the regulated market expands, pressure to deal with unregulated competition is likely to increase. That pressure can come through legislation, enforcement, or both.
If sweepstakes casinos are restricted through court action or new rules, Missouri would be left without a legal way to offer online casino games. Players would still be interested in those games, but the state wouldn’t have any way to manage them.
When that happens, we’ll need to talk about legalizing and regulating online casinos that use real money. The groundwork’s already there, all thanks to sports betting.
Compare Missouri sweepstakes rules and top sites to those of bordering states.
Yes, you can currently play at sweepstakes casinos in Missouri, as long as the site truly operates as a sweepstakes and not a real-money casino. You can play when the platform lets you access prize games without having to pay, as long as it follows the free entry model described on this page. Missouri law is more concerned with how the site is set up than with punishing individual players.
No, Missouri does not target players who use sweepstakes casinos. Enforcement under Missouri gambling law is aimed at operators that run illegal gambling businesses, not at individuals who play. As long as you are using a sweepstakes casino that follows the free entry rules, your risk as a player remains very low.
Most sweepstakes casinos in Missouri require you to be at least 18 years old. This is different from Missouri’s land-based casinos, which require you to be 21. Since sweepstakes casinos are not licensed gambling sites, age limits are set by the operators themselves.
No, Missouri sweepstakes casinos are not allowed to require you to buy coins to play for prizes. You should always have access to free entry options, such as daily bonuses or mail requests. Buying Gold Coins is optional and should never control whether you can win or redeem prizes.
You can still play at sweepstakes casinos in Missouri. Nothing has changed in terms of legality. However, future access could change. Court cases are still active, and operators tend to react quickly when under pressure. For example, if a ruling goes against a major site, it may stop serving Missouri players at a moment’s notice.