Spins America’s Legal Opinion: 33 Jurisdictions Safe for Sweeps

A legal opinion posted on Spins America dated April 3, 2025, concludes that online sweepstakes casino-style games are legal in 33 states, including California. 

The legal opinion is nearly 24,000 words in length and is titled "Legal Opinion." It provides an argument as to why sweepstakes casino games are legal or illegal in each state and Washington, D.C. 

“The purpose of this Opinion,” it reads, “is limited to assisting such third parties in determining whether or not to offer payment processing services to the Developer.”
 

The 33 “Green Light” Jurisdictions

According to legal opinion posted on Spins America, sweepstakes casinos, including its own, may be legal in the following 33 jurisdictions: 

• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington, D.C.
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Note: The document or the terms and conditions at Spins America indicate where the sweepstakes platform is operating. This is just a legal opinion dated for April 2025. 

There has been some enforcement for three of the 33 states listed above since the opinion was published, though: 

• Arizona sent cease-and-desist letters to numerous sites, including Stake.us, High 5, and more. 
• California has a bill, AB 831, that's currently ongoing. It'll be heard before a committee later this month. 
• Louisiana sent 42 cease-and-desist letters in June. Attorney General Liz Murrill provided her opinion, saying that they “... offer real-money payouts, use dual-currency or coin-based systems, or offer material prizes such as gift cards, all under the false appearance of legality and trying to compare themselves with legitimate sweepstakes.”

The 18 “Gray Area” States

There wasn't a definitive conclusion on these 18 states: 

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Idaho
• Kentucky
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Montana
• Nebraska
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Dakota
• Nevada
• Ohio
• Tennessee
• Washington

“The Firm could not reach a conclusion as to the legality of the Platform at this time,” the opinion states, “but reserves the right to revisit these determinations in light of future developments.

Of the states mentioned above, the following have passed anti-sweepstakes legislation: Connecticut, Montana, New York, and New Jersey. 

Mississippi and Maryland have issued cease-and-desist notices. 

Ohio, like California, has a bill that's in progress that could ban them. However, it would also legalize online real-money casinos, which Governor Mike DeWine isn't thrilled about. 

“I’m not for it,” he said. “Basically to put a casino in everybody’s hands, 24/7, I think is probably not a great idea and I think it will cause more pain and suffering in regards to addiction, as far as gaming addiction, so I’m just not for it.”