Chavdar Vasilev is a journalist covering the casino and sports betting market sectors for CasinoBeats. He joined CasinoBeats in May 2025 and reports on industry-shaping stories across the US and beyond, including legislative debates, market...
Read Full BioAs sweepstakes casinos face mounting restrictions across multiple U.S. states, Kentucky is emerging as another jurisdiction where operators are quietly pulling back — even though there is no publicly available regulatory crackdown driving the exits.
Over 30 sweepstakes casinos now list Kentucky as an excluded jurisdiction in their terms and conditions. The withdrawals include some of the industry’s most recognizable platforms, including Stake.us, High 5 Casino, and McLuck Casino.
Unlike developments in states like New York and California, where lawmakers passed explicit ban bills, or in jurisdictions like Louisiana and West Virginia, where enforcement actions triggered a wave of cease-and-desist letters, the Kentucky exits appear to be gradual, operator-driven, and largely unannounced.
Sweepstakes Casinos Excluding Kentucky
Based on current operator terms reviewed by CasinoBeats, the following platforms explicitly exclude Kentucky players:
- Ace
- Americana Casino
- Carnival Citi
- Betty Sweeps
- Casino Click
- Fliff
- Hello Millions
- High 5
- Jackpota
- Jefebet
- Lavish Luck
- Lonestar Casino
- LuckySlots.us
- Lucky Stake
- LuckyBits Vegas
- McLuck
- Mega Bonanza
- Playfame
- Rolling Riches
- Ruby Sweeps
- Sidepot
- Sixty 6
- Smiles Casino
- Sorcery Reels
- SpinBlitz
- Spree
- Stake.us
- Sweep Jungle
- SweepsUSA
- The Boss
- The Win Zone
- Thrillz
- Vegas Gems
A casino moving in the opposite direction is Baba Casino. The operator, which is among the most restrictive, relaunched in Kentucky in September.
No Public Cease-and-Desist Letters — So What’s Driving the Exits?
There are no publicly available cease-and-desist letters, formal enforcement notices, or regulatory announcements from Kentucky authorities specifically targeting online sweepstakes casinos.
That said, Kentucky carries a different kind of risk profile.
The state has a long history of private litigation tied to gambling loss-recovery laws. These laws permit players — and, in some cases, third parties — to sue operators to recover alleged losses from gambling.
Several sweepstakes casino operators have previously faced similar lawsuits in Kentucky. In 2023, VGW, the operator of Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker, settled a complaint for $11.75 million.
Yellow Social Interactive, the operator of Pulsz Casino and Pulsz Bingo, has previously settled two lawsuits for a combined $4.9 million. Meanwhile, Whoopla, the operator of Funzpoints, settled for over $800,000.
Notably, those operators still allow Kentucky players. Still, for some operators, Kentucky could represent a jurisdiction where litigation exposure may outweigh the value of continued access.
Neighboring Tennessee Also Sees Mass Exits
While the slow, incremental pullback in Kentucky contrasts sharply with Tennessee, over 30 sweepstakes casinos have exited from both. In both cases, there are no publicly available enforcement actions.
In Tennessee’s case, operators exited rapidly in close succession. That suggests a coordinated response to perceived enforcement risk.
Notably, many of the most recognizable platforms have left the state. That includes VGW’s Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots, Modo, and A1 Development’s Funrize and NoLimitCoins. Stake.us will leave the state on December 19.
Kentucky, by comparison, shows no single inflection point. Operators appear to be leaving quietly and independently over time, rather than reacting to a specific bill, an attorney general’s action, or a court ruling.
