NJ readers · Legal status · 21+
Can You Play Sweepstakes Casinos in New Jersey?
Last checked: 2026-09-28 · General information, not legal advice.
Short answer
No. Since August 15, 2025, New Jersey law has treated offering a paid-entry sweepstakes casino to people in New Jersey as unlawful gambling. The sweepstakes brands we cover also restrict New Jersey in their own terms or help pages. If you are 21+ and in New Jersey, use an online casino on the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) list of authorized sites instead.
What the 2025 New Jersey law says
The law is P.L.2025, chapter 128, which started as Assembly Bill 5447. It was approved on August 15, 2025 and took effect immediately. In plain English:
- What counts as a sweepstakes: promotional games, online or in person, that award a prize directly or “indirectly through means such as a dual currency system of payment” that lets players exchange that currency for a prize.
- What is banned: offering or conducting a sweepstakes that a person present in New Jersey can join by paying something of value, such as an entry fee, for a chance at a prize. The law calls this unlawful gambling under the New Jersey Constitution.
- Who it targets: the operator or sponsor, plus its officers, employees and agents. They face civil liability and, where it applies, criminal liability.
- Penalties: a civil penalty of up to $100,000 for a first offense and up to $250,000 for each later offense. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.
- Enforcement: the Division of Consumer Affairs enforces the sweepstakes ban and its penalties. The same law also gives the Division of Gaming Enforcement new powers against other unlawful gambling, but those sections expressly exclude sweepstakes.
- What is still allowed: ordinary promotional sweepstakes that meet the law’s conditions. There must be a free way to enter. Any paid entry has to come with buying food, non-alcoholic drinks or merchandise worth no more than $20 (or another amount the Division of Consumer Affairs sets). That merchandise can’t be coins, tokens or online credits that are only good for entries or can be exchanged for money.
The same law also made it a third-degree crime to operate an “online gambling resort” that lets people in New Jersey wager, unless that gambling is under the regulation and control of the State.
Read the enacted law (P.L.2025, c.128) on the NJ Legislature site
Do the sweepstakes brands on this site accept New Jersey players?
We checked each brand’s own terms or help pages on 2026-09-28. None of them should be treated as available in New Jersey.
| Brand | What its own pages say about New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Stake.us | Help center says it is “currently unable to accommodate players from” a list of states that includes New Jersey. Its Terms (section 2.1) also list New Jersey as an “Excluded Territory.” |
| Shuffle.us | Terms list New Jersey among its “Excluded Territories.” |
| RealPrize | Promotional Play Rules (last updated August 21, 2026) exclude anyone located in or a resident of New Jersey. |
| MyPrize.us | Support page says MyPrize.us “is unavailable in” a list of states that includes New Jersey. |
| Wow Vegas | Help center lists New Jersey under “Restricted Locations from SC play.” |
| Rainbet | Terms list the “United States of America and its territories” among the places you must not use the service from. |
Shuffle.us’s terms also say that trying to get around its location restriction with a VPN, proxy or similar service breaches its terms. Operators update these lists, so check the current terms yourself before relying on any of them.
What New Jersey players can use instead
The DGE publishes a list of approved internet gaming sites and states: “Any site not included on this list is NOT approved to offer Internet gaming in the State of New Jersey.” When we checked on 2026-09-28, each brand our NJ guides cover had a casino site on that list: DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars Palace Online, Hard Rock Bet, Fanatics and BetMGM. Our BetMGM guide covers a sports invite, not a casino welcome offer.
- All NJ casino guides: compare headline offers in one table
- DraftKings Casino NJ: Play $5 → 1,000 Flex Spins
- FanDuel Casino NJ: 100% Match + 50 Free Spins
- Hard Rock Bet NJ: 100% Match + 50 Free Spins
- Fanatics Casino: Deposit $10, get $30
- BetMGM: sports invite, Up to a $100 bonus on deposit (not a casino welcome offer)
- Caesars Palace Online: referral guide (deposit and wager $50+ for bonus spins)
- Do you need a promo code for NJ online casinos?
You can also check any site yourself on the DGE Internet Gaming Sites list. Licensed NJ sites are for adults 21+ who are physically in New Jersey, and the operator’s terms always win.
Outside New Jersey?
If you are 21+ and located outside New Jersey, our Other offers hub covers sweepstakes-style brands. These guides are for readers outside NJ only, and each operator sets its own list of allowed states: Stake.us, Shuffle.US, RealPrize, MyPrize.us and Wow Vegas. Check the operator’s current terms for your state before you sign up.
Responsible gaming
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
FAQ
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in New Jersey?
Not the paid-entry kind. Since August 15, 2025, P.L.2025, c.128 treats offering or conducting a sweepstakes that people in New Jersey can join by paying something of value for a chance at a prize as unlawful gambling. Ordinary promotional sweepstakes that meet the law’s conditions, including a free way to enter, are still allowed. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can I play Stake.us in New Jersey?
No. Stake.us’s help center says it is currently unable to accommodate players from a list of states that includes New Jersey, and its Terms list New Jersey as an Excluded Territory.
When did New Jersey ban online sweepstakes casinos?
The law, P.L.2025, chapter 128 (Assembly Bill 5447), was approved on August 15, 2025 and took effect immediately.
Can I use a VPN to play sweepstakes casinos from New Jersey?
No. Shuffle.us’s terms, for example, say that trying to get around its location restriction with a VPN, proxy or similar service breaches its terms. If you are in New Jersey, use a site on the DGE’s authorized list instead.
What can I play online in New Jersey instead?
If you are 21+ and physically in New Jersey, look for online casinos on the DGE’s Internet Gaming Sites list. The DGE says any site not on that list is not approved to offer internet gaming in New Jersey. Our NJ casino guides cover DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars Palace Online, Hard Rock Bet and Fanatics.