Are sweepstakes legal in Texas? Lone Star State social casinos
TRADITIONAL forms of real money gambling, like sports betting and online casino games, are not legal in Texas.
However, there is another option. Texas residents can play online at the many social casinos and sweepstakes casinos that are available in the Lone Star State.
Read more to find out about social casinos and how to play from Texas.
The state of gambling in Texas
Traditional forms of real money gambling, like sports betting and online casino games, are not legal in Texas.
There have been efforts made to legalize gambling within the state, starting in 2019 with Representative Eddie Lucio III bringing up a bill that ultimately failed to find resolution in the legislature.
A coalition between all of the professional sports teams in the state called the Sports Betting Alliance has pledged support for the most recent sports betting bill HB 1275, which was brought up in 2021. While Governor Greg Abbott is reportedly warming up to the idea of sports betting, newly elected Lt.
Governor Dan Patrick has pushed the idea to at least 2025 within the state after saying would not bring the most recent bill to the Senate floor. The Texas Legislature meets only every two years, which complicates matters.
Residents of Texas can however joy the thrill of casino at sweepstake and social casinos.
In my experience, these sites are free to join and play, they are widely available, and can provide real cash prizes for players.
To learn how social gaming works in the state of Texas, take a look at the details I provide below.
Are sweepstakes legal in Texas?
Sweepstakes are legal in the Lone Star State. Social casinos and sweepstakes casinos are not legally considered to be real money gambling, and therefore the sites don’t require a gambling license to operate.
Instead, they offer free-to-play games found online. When I'm playing in sweepstakes mode, gameplay is designed using pre-existing laws designed for sweepstakes contests. In other words, even though sometimes I am not playing with real money, I can still win real prizes, from cash to gift cards.
Since social casinos operate under this model and practically anyone in the US is free to play their games. That includes residents of Texas. The real money gambling laws don’t affect the availability of social casinos in Texas, or in pretty much any state that doesn’t have legalized gambling.
The format is very different in a legal sense, but social casinos and real money casinos operate and feel pretty similar. For instance, you can sometimes play the exact same slots or games in a social casino that you find in regular real money casinos, created by the same software developers.
The best social casinos in Texas
Texas residents have access to some great social casinos that can be accessed throughout the state. Check out my favorites sites below:
- Fortune Coins - 1,250,000 GC + 4,300 SC
- Stake.us - 25 Stake Cash + 250,000 Gold Coins
- High 5 Casino - Get 5 Free Sweeps Coins + 250 GC + 600 Diamonds
- WOW Vegas - 1.5 million WOW Coins + 34.5 Free Sweepstake Coins
- Sportzino - Up to 220,000 GC + 10 SC
- Chumba Casino - 2,000,000 free GC + 2 free SC
- Luckyland Slots - 7777 gold coins + 10 sweeps coins free
- Zula Casino - 100,000 GC + 10 SC
- McLuck - 57,500 Gold Coins + up to 27.5 free Sweepstakes Coins
- Global Poker - Use code PLAYPOKER for exclusive Gold Coin offer
- Pulsz - up to 367,000 Gold Coins + 32.3 Free Sweepstakes Coins
- Funrize - 125,000 FREE Gold Coins
Can I win real money at social casinos in Texas?
Technically the answer is no, but you can redeem prizes when you play in sweepstakes mode in social casinos. Those prizes can include cash prizes that get transferred to your bank account immediately.
All the games at social casinos can be played for free. There are normally two different types of tokens or coins required to play the games, called Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins.
With Gold Coins, you can never redeem any prizes. Playing with them is a little like using free money at real money casinos: they have no function apart from playing games.
You get Gold Coins for free when you sign up, and top ups to your supply in lots of different ways. Daily login bonuses, social media giveaways, special bonus wheel and other promos - these are all ways to get extra Gold Coins. You can also buy some more if you want.
When it comes to Sweeps Coins, they are similar to gold coins but with some important differences. First, you can’t buy sweeps coins, and you can only receive them for free through various promotions, including the ways I mentioned above for Gold Coins. Thanks to the sweepstake contest laws that social casinos use, you can redeem Sweeps Coins for real cash prizes from sweepstakes casinos.
Unlike Gold Coins, you can never buy Sweeps Coins. They can only be received for free, through various promotions. However, when you purchase Gold Coins packages you often receive some Sweeps Coins for free.
Sweeps Coins are used to play in sweepstakes mode, while Gold Coins are more associated with playing in regular mode at social casinos. It depends on what site you visit, but usually one Sweeps Coin is worth $1 in prizes. The only way to redeem sweeps coins is by winning them from playing games, meaning you can’t simply redeem some Sweeps Coins that you received for free without actually playing with them. You also usually need to have a minimum number of eligible Sweeps Coins to request a redeemable prize; usually between 50 and 100 SC.
In my opinion, social casinos and sweepstakes games in Texas are ideal for anyone that wants to play casino-style games online for free. Legal online gambling looks to still be at least two years away with the recent news of the bill, so this is the best bet for anyone who wants to get involved in the meantime.
About the author
Archie Williamson
Archie has been involved with the casino space for 5 years, having formerly worked as a Research Analyst for a cybersecurity agency. His favorite casino game is live dealer blackjack.
When not testing the latest in casino games, he loves long walks in the countryside he grew up in, and hunting down new craft breweries.
Find more social casino reviews
- High 5 review
- Global Poker review
- Pulsz casino review
- Wow Vegas Casino review
- Chumba Casino review
- Stake.us review
Responsible sweepstakes and social playing
Remember to play responsibly at social and sweepstakes casinos
A responsible player is someone who:
- Establishes time limits before playing
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t play if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
- National Council on Problem Gambling – https://www.ncpgambling.org/
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 1-800-522-4700 or go to ncpgambling.org/chat
