STATE TRACKER · PA
Sweepstakes casinos in Pennsylvania
Current status
Enforcement activity
Regulators have taken tracked enforcement action against operators here.
Regulators are acting against operators here, and terms, availability and redemption windows can change with little notice. Keep your own record of what you deposited and what you redeemed. Tell us what happened to you
- Sweeps Coins (SC) redemption
- Contested, regulators are acting
- Gold Coin (GC) free play
- Generally not targeted. 75 of 121 operators we track are recorded as not accepting Pennsylvania
- Minimum age
- 18+
- Age floor source
- 23 Pa.C.S. Sec. 5101 (Attainment of full age)
PRIMARY-SOURCE NOTE
Pennsylvania's position rests on a general lottery section and a regulator's letters
What the law does
Pennsylvania has no statute written for dual-currency sweepstakes casinos, so the classification leans on the general lottery section, 18 Pa.C.S. § 55121. That section declares every unlawful lottery a common nuisance and voids any transfer of property made in pursuance of one1. It makes it a misdemeanor of the first degree to set up or maintain a lottery, to sell or hold for sale a ticket or device that entitles the holder to a prize, or to publish an advertisement for a lottery1. Unlawful is defined there as not specifically authorized by law1. The buyer of a ticket or device cannot be prosecuted under the section and may testify to prove the offense1. Beyond the advertising offense, the text names no promoter, payment processor, app store or platform1. The Board's chief counsel told legislators that whether these games amount to online gambling is not yet settled by the Commonwealth's courts2.
What has happened since
The regulator's stated position comes from hearing testimony. On April 7, 2025, the House Gaming Oversight Committee held an informational meeting on online sweepstakes and social casinos, and its archive lists no legislation considered3. At that hearing the Gaming Control Board's chief enforcement counsel called the sites illegal online gambling in the Board's assessment and said its enforcement counsel had sent about eighteen cease and desist letters, each of them promptly complied with2. He described a shift toward asking Google, Microsoft and Apple to restrict the sites2. A House co-sponsorship memo circulated that same morning promised a bill to close sweepstakes loopholes, and when we read it on September 28, 2026 the page still said the document had not been submitted for introduction4. We have not logged that hearing or any Board letter as a dated Pennsylvania event, and no tracked operator carries a Pennsylvania exit date. 75 tracked operators carry a Pennsylvania exclusion in our records.
What is still open
The enforcement activity label rests on letters whose recipients the testimony does not name, so the record cannot yet tie any operator's Pennsylvania exclusion to a Board letter. The chief counsel also said the interactive gaming ban in section 13B12(a) of the Gaming Act collides with definitions in 4 Pa.C.S. § 1103 that cover only licensed operators, which he said limits the Board's ability to bring a civil action against the sites2. The definitions we read limit interactive gaming to wagers placed with a certificate holder or licensed operator5. The record does not yet show a prosecutor testing section 5512 against a dual-currency site, or the General Assembly amending those definitions1.
- Enforcement search
- The Gaming Control Board's chief enforcement counsel testified on April 7, 2025 that the Board had sent about eighteen cease and desist letters to sweepstakes sites and that each was complied with2. The testimony names no recipient, and our event history for Pennsylvania holds no dated enforcement entry.
- Question still open
- Whether a prosecutor will test the lottery section against a dual-currency site, and whether the General Assembly will change the Gaming Act definitions that the Board says limit its ability to sue unlicensed online operators, is not answered by the record.
Sources for this note
- 18 Pa.C.S. § 5512, Lotteries, etc. (Pennsylvania General Assembly) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- Testimony of Gaming Control Board Chief Counsel Steve Cook and Chief Enforcement Counsel Cyrus Pitre, House Gaming Oversight Committee, April 7, 2025 accessed Sep 28, 2026
- House Gaming Oversight Committee meeting archive, April 7, 2025 (PA House of Representatives) accessed Sep 28, 2026
- House co-sponsorship memo 46324, Ending Sweepstakes Loopholes for Unregulated Online Social Casinos and Gaming Providers accessed Sep 28, 2026
- 4 Pa.C.S. § 1103, Gaming Act definitions (Pennsylvania General Assembly) accessed Sep 28, 2026
Sources rechecked 2026-09-28. Next scheduled review 2026-12-28.
What the law says
Under 18 Pa.C.S. §5512, setting up or maintaining an unlawful lottery ('not specifically authorized by law'), selling tickets, or publishing lottery advertisements is a first-degree misdemeanor (up to 5 years / $10,000 under PA's general grading). The PGCB itself cannot prosecute; its enforcement tool against sweepstakes casinos is the cease-and-desist letter.
Operators and Pennsylvania
Because of Pennsylvania's status, we don't list or link operator promotions for this state.
75 of the 121 operators we track are recorded as not accepting Pennsylvania players, and 16 of those records cite the operator's own terms.
45 operators we track do not list Pennsylvania among excluded states in the terms we last read, dated June 10, 2026 to October 2, 2026.
Of the remaining records that do not exclude Pennsylvania, 1 rests on the operator's site configuration or other records.
Operator families whose every tracked brand is recorded as not accepting Pennsylvania: Realplay Tech Inc.
How this classification was reached
Show the record, the citation and the method
What the Pennsylvania classification rests on
- Source date
- Not recorded
- Last human review
- June 11, 2026
- Effective date
- Not recorded
- Basis of classification
- statutory
Where the operator counts come from
Of the 46 records that do not exclude Pennsylvania, 32 cite the operator's own terms or rules, 1 comes from a backfill of the operator's terms, 1 comes from the operator's site configuration and 12 are inferred because the terms do not list Pennsylvania. Of the 75 exclusion records, 7 cite the operator's own terms or rules, 9 come from a backfill of the operator's terms and 59 come from our bulk backfill without a terms citation.
Citation as stored
18 Pa.C.S. §5512 (lotteries; unlawful = 'not specifically authorized by law'); PGCB cease-and-desist program (no sweeps-specific statute).
Primary sources on file
Method
Methodology · Corrections · Changelog · How to read a state page
Pennsylvania questions
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Pennsylvania?
Regulators have taken tracked enforcement action against operators here. Authority: 18 Pa.C.S. §5512.
What has the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board done about online sweepstakes casinos?
In testimony to a House committee on April 7, 2025, the Board's chief enforcement counsel said its investigators review these sites, its enforcement counsel had sent about eighteen cease and desist letters by then, and every recipient had complied. The Board's chief counsel added that the Board is not a law enforcement agency and cannot bring a criminal case.
Which operators accept Pennsylvania players?
75 of the 121 operators we track are recorded as not accepting Pennsylvania players, and 16 of those records cite the operator's own terms. Trust Score leaderboard →
This page is information, not legal advice. Laws and thresholds change quickly, so confirm with the operator and your state attorney general before depositing, or consult a lawyer. Last verified June 11, 2026. Send a correction.