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State database · NY · verified 2026-10-03

Sweepstakes laws in New York

A law in force since December 5, 2025 bars operating or promoting dual-currency online sweepstakes games; the Attorney General reached an $8 million settlement with VGW in 2026.

Disclosure: this site's publisher, Luck Incorporated LLC, operates Chance Infinite, one of the apps in these databases. Its entry is built from its own documents under the same rules as every other entry. This is reference information, not legal advice; official rules and statutes control.

Last verified October 3, 2026. On October 16, 2026 an automated check re-opened 9 of its 12 sources and found no change. Every line below cites a document; numbers in brackets point to the source list.

Status
Law in force
Sweepstakes-casino law
S5935A (Laws 2025, ch. 605), effective December 5, 2025
Enforcement actions on record
2
Ranked free apps open to residents
4 of 6
Sweepstakes-casino brands and New York
16 exclude it, 2 limit it, of 18 tracked

The law

S5935A (Laws 2025, ch. 605)

Cited as N.Y. Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law section 912; enacted December 5, 2025 (signed by the Governor as Chapter 605); effective December 5, 2025. [S3]

Defines an "online sweepstakes game" as an internet or mobile game, contest or promotion that uses a dual-currency system of payment letting the player exchange the currency for cash prizes, cash awards or cash equivalents and that simulates casino-style gaming, including slot machines, video poker, table games, lottery games, bingo or sports wagering. Makes it unlawful for any person or entity to operate, conduct or promote such games in New York, and for licensees, financial institutions, payment processors, geolocation providers, gaming content suppliers, platform providers and media affiliates to support them. Sets fines of $10,000 to $100,000 per violation, plus loss of or ineligibility for a gaming license, and lets the Gaming Commission, State Police or Attorney General investigate, hold hearings, issue cease and desist letters and issue subpoenas. The act states that it "shall take effect immediately"; the Senate bill page records the Governor's signature on December 5, 2025.

“It shall be unlawful for any applicant, licensed entity, gaming employee, key employee, individual investor or investment firm, board member, or any other person or entity to operate, conduct, or promote online sweepstakes games within the state of New York.”

Bills

  • A6745A (2025-2026 session): substituted by S5935A, June 13, 2025. [S1]
    What the bill does

    Assembly companion of S5935A. The Senate bill page lists the Assembly action of June 13, 2025 as "Substituted For A6745a"; S5935A then passed the Assembly on June 17, 2025 and was signed as Chapter 605 on December 5, 2025.

Enforcement

  • June 6, 2025, New York State Office of the Attorney General, working with the New York State Gaming Commission: cease-and-desist letters (announced) against Operators of 26 platforms, listed in the release as Chanced, Chumba, DingDingDing, Fliff, Fortune Coins, Fortune Wheelz, Funrize, FunzCity, Global Poker, Golden Hearts Games, High 5 Casino, Jackpota, Luckyland, McLuck, Mega Bonanza, NoLimitCoins, Play Fame, RealPrize, Sidepot, SpinBlitz, Sportzino, SweepSlots, Sweeptastic, TaoFortune, Yay Casino and Zula Casino. Status: issued. [S4]
    What the record says

    The Attorney General announced that her office, working with the Gaming Commission, identified 26 online platforms offering slots, table games and sports betting with virtual coins that could be exchanged for cash and prizes, and sent cease and desist letters demanding that the operators stop all prohibited gambling activity in the state. The release states that "as a result, all 26 platforms are ending the sale of sweepstakes coins in New York."

  • September 9, 2026, New York State Office of the Attorney General: Assurance of Discontinuance No. 26-052 (effective August 31, 2026; announced September 9, 2026) against VGW Holdings Pty. Ltd., VGW Luckyland Inc., VGW Malta Limited and VGW GP Limited. Status: settled. [S7]
    What the record says

    The Assurance sets out the Attorney General's findings that the respondents' Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots and Global Poker brands offered casino-style games played with gold coins and sweeps coins, with only sweeps coins redeemable for cash or gift cards; that in most specially marked packages the sweeps coins received were roughly equal to the dollar price; that the Attorney General warned VGW by letter on April 25, 2025; and that VGW stopped offering sweeps coins to New York residents on June 2, 2025. The respondents "neither admit nor deny" the findings. VGW agreed to pay $8,000,000 in disgorgement, restitution, penalties and costs, to comply with Penal Law sections 225.05, 225.10, 225.15 and 225.20, and, for one year from the effective date, to let New York consumers who did not receive its earlier notice request redemption of sweeps coins held on June 2, 2025.

Rules for any sweepstakes in New York

  • Registration and bonding (N.Y. General Business Law section 369-e): [S8]
    What the rule requires

    A game, contest or promotion tied to the sale of consumer products or services that offers prizes determined by chance, without consideration, must be filed with the Secretary of State at least 30 days before it starts when the total announced prize value exceeds $5,000, with a $100 filing fee. The promoter must keep a trust account or post a bond equal to the total prize value, and must file a list of winners of prizes worth more than $25 within 90 days after the promotion ends. Failure to file the statement is a class B misdemeanor.

Free sweepstakes apps open to New York residents

Our ranked apps, by what each one's own official rules say about New York. Chance Infinite is operated by this site's publisher.

AppOur rankNew York
Chance Infinite1, 81/100Open
Coinnect2, 71/100Excluded
Prizes by GAMEE3 (tied), 54/100Open
Winsome Rewards3 (tied), 54/100Excluded
PCH+5, 51/100Open (app listed unavailable)
PCH Lotto6, 48/100Open (app listed unavailable)

Sweepstakes casinos and New York

What the 18 sweepstakes-casino brands in our database say about New York in their own documents. These lists give no grade; some of these brands pay SweepstakeReport a commission through the links on their fact sheets. We do not judge whether any brand may operate in New York, and documents change often.

194 casinos' terms exclude New York: see which.

Regulator

New York State Gaming Commission

Notes

Read the 7 research notes
  • Section 912 leaves the definition of the currency model to the regulator: "The state gaming commission shall determine what constitutes a dual-currency system pursuant to this paragraph." (S3)
  • Section 912 addresses operators, promoters and those who support them; the word "player" appears only in its definition of an online sweepstakes game, and the text sets no prohibition or penalty for players. In a cease and desist letter it published, dated March 7, 2025 with the recipient redacted, the Attorney General's office wrote in a footnote that "The Penal Law imposes no criminal liability on individual bettors". That is the office's statement in a letter, not a provision of section 912. (S3, S5)
  • The VGW Assurance refers to the 2025 law in paragraph 11 as "Senate Bill S5925A"; the Senate bill page and the printed bill identify it as S5935A, Chapter 605. (S1, S2, S7)
  • The Attorney General's September 9, 2026 release says that, after the 2025 letters, "the operators ended the sale of sweepstakes coins in New York." (S6)
  • A date-sorted search of the Attorney General's press releases for "sweepstakes" on 2026-10-03 returned two releases on sweepstakes casinos (June 6, 2025 and September 9, 2026); the other 2026 results concerned prediction markets, Coinbase and Gemini, and a video game developer. (S9)
  • The Assembly's bill pages, retrieved 2026-10-03, show the same history as the Senate page: A6745A (sponsor listed as Woerner) was "substituted by s5935a" on June 13, 2025, and S5935A "passed assembly" on June 17, 2025, was delivered to the Governor on December 1, 2025 and was "SIGNED CHAP.605" on December 5, 2025. (S10, S11)
  • Comparison with our crackdown timeline: it lists S5935A (Ch. 605), signed December 5, 2025 and effective immediately, which matches the primary record. It says the Attorney General stated that all 26 platforms stopped selling sweeps coins; the June 6, 2025 release itself says they "are ending the sale", and the September 9, 2026 release says they ended it. The timeline does not yet record the September 9, 2026 VGW Assurance. (T1, S4, S6)

What we could not establish

  • We found no 2026 New York bill specific to online sweepstakes casinos in the sources checked on 2026-10-03. Bills surfaced by search were A11432 (historical horse racing, which would add a different section 912) and A11629 (live fish as prizes). The nysenate.gov keyword search did not apply our filter, so no full-text session search was completed.
  • We did not locate a Gaming Commission determination of what constitutes a dual-currency system, or any Gaming Commission enforcement action; gaming.ny.gov returned HTTP 403 to our client on 2026-10-03.
  • We found no published action brought under section 912 itself; the VGW Assurance cites Penal Law sections 225.10 and 225.20 and Executive Law section 63(12).
  • nysenate.gov pages were read in a browser because direct requests received a Cloudflare challenge; the public comment section on the bill page was not saved because it contains private individuals' names.

Common questions

Does New York have a law on online sweepstakes casinos?

Yes. S5935A (Laws 2025, ch. 605), cited as N.Y. Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law section 912, took effect December 5, 2025. This page quotes the text and links the statute.

Which ranked free sweepstakes apps accept New York residents?

Per their own official rules, Chance Infinite, Prizes by GAMEE, PCH+ and PCH Lotto accept residents of New York, and Coinnect and Winsome Rewards exclude it. Chance Infinite is operated by the publisher of this site.

Do sweepstakes casinos accept players in New York?

Of the 18 sweepstakes casino brands in our database, 16 exclude New York and 2 limit it in their own documents, last verified October 3, 2026. Documents change often, so read the current terms first.

Sources

  1. S1 New York State Senate, Senate Bill S5935A, 2025-2026 Legislative Session (status and actions), retrieved October 3, 2026
  2. S2 New York State Senate, Open Legislation, S. 5935--A, printed bill text, retrieved October 3, 2026
  3. S3 New York State Senate, Open Legislation, Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law section 912 (revision from 2025-12-12), retrieved October 3, 2026
  4. S4 New York State Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General James Stops Illegal Online Sweepstakes Casinos (June 6, 2025), retrieved October 3, 2026
  5. S5 New York State Office of the Attorney General, Cease and desist letter on sweepstakes casinos, dated March 7, 2025 (recipient redacted), retrieved October 3, 2026
  6. S6 New York State Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General James Secures $8 Million from Leading Operator of Illegal Online Sweepstakes Casinos (September 9, 2026), retrieved October 3, 2026
  7. S7 New York State Office of the Attorney General, Assurance of Discontinuance No. 26-052, In the Matter of VGW Holdings Pty. Ltd. et al. (effective August 31, 2026), retrieved October 3, 2026
  8. S8 New York State Senate, Open Legislation, General Business Law section 369-e, Use of games of chance in selling commodities (revision from 2014-09-22), retrieved October 3, 2026
  9. S9 New York State Office of the Attorney General, Press release search for "sweepstakes", sorted by date, retrieved October 3, 2026
  10. S10 New York State Assembly, Assembly Bill A06745 (A6745A), 2025-2026 session, summary and actions, retrieved October 3, 2026
  11. S11 New York State Assembly, Senate Bill S05935 (S5935A), 2025-2026 session, summary, actions and text, retrieved October 3, 2026
  12. T1 SweepstakeReport, The sweepstakes casino crackdown: a dated timeline (site page, compared against primaries) (secondary reporting), retrieved October 3, 2026

Related: All 50 states and DC · The crackdown timeline · The app database