There’s been a quiet shift in the sweepstakes casino world that you might not have noticed. Since the start of the year, a growing number of these sites, including the likes of Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots, have increased their minimum player age from 18 to 21. It’s been subtle, with the operators themselves opting to not make any huge announcements, so a significant chunk of players aren’t even aware the changes have taken place. 

VGW and A1 Development LCC Raise the Minimum Age to 21 for Sweepstakes Casinos Following Legal Backlash 

VGW and A1 Development lCC, two of the biggest companies in the US sweepstakes casino market, have both made lightning fast decisions to increase the minimum player age for their sites. This means you now have to be aged over 21 to access VGW’s Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker, while the same also applies to A1’s NoLimitCoins, Funrize, Fortune Wheelz, FunzCity, and TaoFortune. It’s ultimately bad news for the 18 to 20-year-olds out there, who’re now no longer able to have active accounts with these sites like before. 

It was actually VGW (Virtual Gaming Worlds) who kickstarted the trend. Self-made billionaire Laurence Escalante, CEO of the company, and his team made the decision in February earlier this year to officially raise the minimum player age following increased backlash against sweepstakes casinos. It started as a phased approach, with players under 21 initially still allowed to keep playing for a couple of months, before a complete ban of underage players across all VGW’s sites came into action in April. 

The backlash against VGW and others began last year. Back in 2024, the American Gaming Association put out a statement calling for tougher regulation of sweepstakes casinos, which quickly led to a growing number of states introducing bills to have sweepstakes casinos banned. These states include New York, California and Louisiana, with both Montana and Connecticut having already passed their own bills into law. 

In a panicked response to the crackdown, VGW made the decision to increase its minimum player age to 21. It shows a commitment to keeping younger players safe and also aligns with emerging state regulations, but let’s not get anything twisted: the company really didn’t have a choice. And even though it potentially won’t stop even more states from banning sweepstakes casinos in the future, it’s still a smart move from VGW, as it at least gives the company a leg to stand on if regulations get tighter. 

Unsurprisingly, VGW’s move also inspired A1 Development ICC to do the same thing. Being another one of the big companies in the sweepstakes casino industry, A1 had its hand forced as well, which is why, back in May, they increased the player age to 21 across all of their casino sites. 

McLuck and Pulsz Also Announce Age Increases

McLuck and Pulsz, two of the other big-name brands in the sweepstakes casino world, have recently decided to follow suit as well. Since mid-July, McLuck has made it so “You must be 21 years or older” to access its casino games, while Pulsz said in an on-site statement that “Our services are only intended for individuals aged 21 and above.” Both of these casinos, who have over 1 million combined players, have also terminated preexisting accounts of anyone under the age of 21, marking a huge change for the industry. 

As reported on SweepsKings, another sweepstakes casino, MegaBonanza, has also decided to increase its minimum player age to 21. Interestingly, with MegaBonanza joining the movement, this has now created an industry space where there are almost zero sweeps casinos left with a minimum player age of 18. 

Many of the other popular sweepstakes casinos, such as Stake.us, already had a minimum age of 21 to begin with, so it’s not like there are many sites left to do it. And those who haven’t will likely have to cave by the end of 2025 or, at the very latest, 2026. Otherwise, they’ll remain legally exposed and could potentially get into trouble. 

What’s the Deal with Sweepstakes Casinos? 

It was back during COVID-19 when sweepstakes casinos first started getting popular. In a nutshell, they were a new type of casino that let people play for free using virtual coins instead of real cash. All of the games, like slots and roulette, were the same, and these sites even threw things like weekly tournaments and daily login bonuses on top to get new generation players hooked. And it worked. 

However, what sweepstakes casinos also let you do is win real prizes, such as cryptocurrencies, gift cards, and even cash transfers. This is where it all gets a little murky, as allowing players to win prizes using “Sweeps Coins” is essentially a type of gambling. Sure, you’re not betting real cash, but you’re still wagering something in return for an item of value. 

This is why state lawmakers and the media have started to crackdown on sweepstakes casinos. Originally, they were legal in 48 out of 50 states, but it now looks as though this number will have dropped to as low as 40 by the time 2025 comes to an end. And it’s all because the growing feeling surrounding sweepstakes casinos is that they are indeed gambling sites, despite claiming not to be. 

What the Future Might Hold for Sweepstakes Casinos

Following almost all the major sweepstakes casinos increasing their minimum player age to 21, or already having an existing 21-or-over policy in place, it’s certainly going to shake up the iGaming industry. 

Mainly, it means big-name sites like Chumba Casino are going to experience a significant short-term drop-off in players, as many of these casinos are extremely popular with Gen Z. At the same time, player drops could get even worse if states like New York and others are successful in their attempts to have sweepstakes casinos banned, which it seems they likely will be. 

So, with all this going on, the sweepstakes casino industry looks set to take a huge hit over the coming years. The number of new players flying through the door might not be so high for much longer, and sites will also likely have to deal with even tighter regulations following changes to state laws. But despite this, they’ll still be a major gaming force. 

Let’s not forget that sweepstakes casinos have become insanely popular over the past 5 years. Many of them have over 1 million users each, while some have even penned major sponsorship deals with celebrities and influencers (just look at Stake.us, who reportedly pay rapper Drake $100-million-a-year to keep promoting them). Sweeps casinos also have the streaming scene in a chokehold, with countless streamers on Kick and Twitch regularly streaming themselves playing slots and other popular games direct from these sites. 

Make no doubt about it, sweepstakes casinos aren’t going anywhere, despite increasing their player ages.