STATE TRACKER · DC

Sweepstakes casinos in District of Columbia

Current status

No tracked explicit prohibition

We have found no state law that explicitly prohibits sweepstakes casinos here. That is an absence of a tracked prohibition, not an affirmative authorization.

Last review: June 11, 2026
Authority: D.C. Code §22-1701

There is no tracked prohibition here to act on. An operator's own terms still decide whether it will register you, and some exclude states that have taken no action at all, so read the terms we link on each review page. See the operators we track

Sweeps Coins (SC) redemption: No tracked prohibition
Gold Coin (GC) free play: Yes
Minimum age: 18+

That is District of Columbia's statutory floor. An operator's own terms can set a higher number, and the one that binds you is whichever is higher. Bonus Bandit is written for readers 21 and older. How we handle age

What is specific to District of Columbia

The District of Columbia classification is tied to the state record and source trail shown below.

The classification record cites D.C. Code §22-1701 (lotteries; promotion; sale or possession of tickets).
117 tracked operators currently report accepting District of Columbia players.
The state record was last reviewed on 2026-06-11T22:09:30.072576+00:00.

This is information, not legal advice. Rules and thresholds change. Confirm the current position with the operator and your state attorney general, or consult a lawyer.

PRIMARY-SOURCE BRIEF

District of Columbia permits specified licensed gambling and leaves sweepstakes legality conditional

The District of Columbia's gambling chapter prohibits lotteries, gambling premises, and games or devices for chance involving money or property unless an exception applies. Section 22-1716 says permitted activities are conducted by the District or by entities licensed and controlled by the District. Section 22-1717 identifies exceptions, including District lotteries, charitable bingo and raffles, Office of Lottery and Gaming sports wagering, and licensed game-of-skill machines. The Office separately states that nonprofit games of chance require a Board license. The reviewed code does not expressly authorize a private remote dual-currency casino model.

The official page for section 36-601.13 contains a conditional reference in its codification history to sweepstakes-style games if those games are lawful. That reference is not an independent authorization and should not be presented as a safe harbor. For a modern dual-currency product, unresolved facts include whether the free-entry route avoids consideration, whether redeemable Sweeps Coins are money or property, whether the remote game is a lottery or gambling device, and whether any District license exists. Office material is guidance for specified activities, not a court holding about online sweepstakes.

Enforcement search: No District Office of Lottery and Gaming, Attorney General, or court action naming a dual-currency sweepstakes operator was located in the reviewed official sources. The reviewed set is not a complete local enforcement docket.
Question still open: Whether a specific online product's AMOE, chance mechanics, and redeemable currency fit the District's lottery, gambling-device, property, and licensing provisions remains unresolved.

Official sources checked for District of Columbia

Sources rechecked 2026-08-23. Next scheduled review 2026-11-23. This brief explains the record; it does not replace advice about a specific product or situation.

What the law says

D.C. Code §22-1701: keeping, setting up, or promoting any lottery, or selling/transferring any chance or interest in one, is punishable by a fine (per §22-3571.01) or imprisonment up to 3 years, or both; possession of lottery records is prima facie evidence of violation.

Operators and District of Columbia

117 operators we track accept District of Columbia players, per their own published terms (we link the terms we reviewed on each review page):

How this classification was reached

Show the record, the citation and the method

What this classification rests on

A status word is a summary, so here is the record underneath it for District of Columbia. Where our database holds nothing, the row says Not recorded rather than leaving the gap for you to misread.

Source date: Not recorded
Last human review: June 11, 2026
Effective date: Not recorded
Basis of classification: statutory

Source date is the most recent legal event we track for this state. Basis is derived from those events, from the cited authority where we have one, and from operator-reported exits only when nothing else is on record. Missing rows are gaps in our records, not findings about the law. Research, not legal advice.

Citation as stored

D.C. Code §22-1701 (lotteries; promotion; sale or possession of tickets).

The status hero shows the short form of this reference. This is the complete string as our database holds it, unedited.

Method

How a state gets a classification, what counts as a primary source, and how often each group is re-checked: our methodology. Corrections go to Noah Rafkin, and every tracked change lands in the changelog.

District of Columbia questions

Are sweepstakes casinos legal in District of Columbia?

We have found no state law that explicitly prohibits sweepstakes casinos here. That is an absence of a tracked prohibition, not an affirmative authorization. Authority: D.C. Code §22-1701 (lotteries; promotion; sale or possession of tickets).

Does the District of Columbia code's sweepstakes-style reference authorize dual-currency casinos?

No. The reference is conditional on the games already being lawful and does not create a private online sweepstakes license. The operative chapter instead identifies District-operated or District-licensed exceptions.

What is the dual-currency model?

Sweepstakes casinos run on two currencies: free Gold Coin (GC) entertainment play with no prize redemption, and a Sweeps Coin (SC) side that can be redeemed for cash prizes. We have found no state law that explicitly prohibits sweepstakes casinos here. That is an absence of a tracked prohibition, not an affirmative authorization.

Which operators accept District of Columbia players?

117 operators we track accept District of Columbia players, per their own published terms (we link the terms we reviewed on each review page). Trust Score leaderboard →

This page is research, not legal advice. Statuses are reviewed against primary sources and re-checked as legislation moves; if you spot a change we've missed, email noah.rafkin@bonusbandit.win. Always confirm with the operator and your state attorney general before depositing. Laws change quickly in this space. Last verified June 11, 2026.