Whether an online sweepstakes game is available depends largely on which state a player lives in. Some states allow the model, and others have banned it outright. Ohio falls in the middle. It has no ban on sweepstakes platforms and does not allow real-money online casino games, and the bill that would have settled the question has stalled.
Why a Sweepstakes Is Treated Differently
The split starts with how these platforms are built. They do not operate under gambling statutes. They rely on state promotional-sweepstakes laws instead, and they are structured to fit within them through a dual-currency model. One virtual currency is used for play. A second can be redeemed for prizes.
That structure matters because of how a sweepstakes is defined. Ohio’s HB 298 describes it as any game or promotion where consideration is not required to enter and the prize depends on chance. That definition is the legal ground the platforms stand on.
Why States Reach Different Answers
States that have moved against the model reject that reading. Their position is that dual-currency sweepstakes gaming is online gambling operating without a state license.
What varies is the route each state takes to act on that view. Some passed new laws, and at least eight states now have explicit statutory bans. California’s AB 831, for example, took effect on January 1, 2026. Others, among them Nevada, Michigan, Idaho and Washington, relied on existing gambling law, their state constitution or regulator action instead. Elsewhere, regulators have sent cease-and-desist letters. Because the rules are so uneven, operators geofence the states that ban them and list those states in their terms.
What Ohio Players Can Check First
Ohio’s middle position is why the first checks are practical ones. Operators publish excluded states in their terms, so the simplest step is to see whether Ohio appears on that list.
The lack of a statewide ban also does not leave Ohio without enforcement tools. The Ohio Attorney General and the Ohio Casino Control Commission can still issue cease-and-desist orders to sweepstakes operators. That makes the second check whether either office has acted against a given platform. Readers who want to compare platforms before running those checks can find this year’s American picks in one place.
The third check is legislative. Rep. Brian Stewart introduced HB 298 in May 2025. It would have legalized online casinos through Ohio’s existing casinos and racinos at a 28% tax rate. It also would have expressly banned online sweepstakes games, moving Ohio from the middle to one side.
That bill stalled in 2025 and had not advanced as of early 2026. Senate Bill 197 is a separate online-gaming proposal, and Ohio’s governor has opposed online gambling expansion. For now, Ohio has no sweepstakes ban and no legal real-money online play, and state officials can still act against individual operators.