Sweepstakes gaming is legal in more than 40 U.S. states, and Florida is on that list. The sweepstakes gaming category includes sweeps casinos, social casinos as well as traditional sweepstakes contests.
Florida players have access to more than 60 sweepstakes casinos, including many of the top platforms recommended by our experts here at Sweepsy. This guide aims to clarify the legal status of sweepstakes sites in Florida, including tax laws and restrictions on winnings.
Quick snapshot of Florida’s status
| # of sweeps / social casinos: | 60 |
| Are winnings taxed: | Not at the state level, but federal taxes apply |
| Max prize payout: | $5,000 |
| Minimum age: | 18 |
| Last updated: | December 2024 |
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Florida?
Yes. Florida law permits sweepstakes gaming, including sweeps casinos and traditional sweepstakes contests.
If you’re a Florida resident or a visitor who wants to play at a sweepstakes casino while you’re in the Sunshine State, you have access to more than 60 of the best casino-style sites available in the U.S.
Federal gaming laws outline the regulations that states must follow if they want to offer sweepstakes gaming. Most states follow these federal regulations very closely, and thus sweepstakes laws are quite similar from state to state.
Florida adds a unique provision to its sweepstakes laws, which caps the maximum win amount on a single spin or bet to $5,000.
Here’s a look at some quick facts about Florida sweepstakes laws:
- Legal age: 18. You must be at least 18 years old to play at a sweepstakes casino. Virtually all legitimate sweeps casinos require players to verify their age and identity via Know Your Customer (KYC) checks.
- Prize payout restrictions: The maximum amount you can win in a single spin or bet at a sweepstakes casino is $5,000 (more specifically, the Sweeps Coin equivalent of $5,000). If you win a jackpot of more than $5,000 while playing from Florida, you’ll only retain $5,000.
- Taxable income: There is no state income tax in Florida, so you don’t have to pay state taxes on sweepstakes winnings. You must pay federal taxes on all sweepstakes winnings over $5,000, however, whether that’s a single jackpot or cumulative winnings across a calendar year. The estimated federal tax on sweepstakes winnings is 24%, but your actual tax obligation is based on your total income for the year, with sweepstakes winnings included.
Top sweepstakes casinos in Florida
Sweepstakes casinos are legal in more than 40 U.S. states. When you’re looking into specific sweeps casinos, you’ll find that the list of states in which a particular platform is available varies from site to site.
Florida players enjoy access to more than 60 sweeps casino sites, including many that are on the list of our favorite platforms here at Sweepsy.
Not all sweeps casinos are worth your time, but our experts here at Sweepsy have spent many hours testing and reviewing more than 100 different platforms.
The following list includes some of our top recommended sweepstake casinos for Florida players:
1. Wow Vegas
Wow Vegas presents a selection of slots that’s on par with any sweepstakes casino operating in the U.S.
You’ll find 800+ total games at Wow Vegas, and that game menu is heavy on slot titles. The lineup includes some of the best slots available from Pragmatic Play, Ruby Play, Booming Games, and Atomic Slot Lab.
The list of software developers represented at Wow Vegas is too long to list in its entirety here, but Florida players can rest assured that the game menu is loaded with some of the industry’s most popular slots. Be sure to check out the lineup of Exclusive Wow Vegas games as well, which you’ll only find at this sweeps casino.
In addition to slots, Wow Vegas also offers live dealer games, an extensive lineup of Slingo games, and more.
Plenty of bonuses await players at Wow Vegas as well. You can get 5 SC free as a sign-up bonus, as well as a first purchase bonus that unlocks 35 SC free with a $9.99 Wow Coins purchase.
2. Hello Millions
Hello Millions offers one of the most visually appealing layouts of any sweeps casino available in Florida. With a fun comic-book theme, stunning graphics, and an easy-to-navigate main lobby, Hello Millions scores big points in the user experience category.
The game menu at Hello Millions recently expanded to include 1,100+ casino-style games. As expected, most of those games are slot titles, but you’ll also find live dealer games, arcade-style games, and more.
Plenty of big-name software developers appear on the game menu at Hello Millions. That list includes BGaming, Evoplay, Playson, ICONIC21, and many more.
Hello Millions extends a list of promotions that rivals anything in the industry in terms of player-friendly bonuses. You can score 2.5 SC free as a sign-up bonus and also collect 115 SC free when you buy a total of $69.97 over your first three Gold Coins purchases.
While it’s one of the newer sweeps casino sites to enter the U.S. market, we highly recommend Hello Millions for Florida players.
3. Stake.us
Stake.US presents a lineup of games that includes something for players of all experience levels. If there’s a particular game type you’re looking for, Stake US probably offers it.
The game menu at Stake.US includes 700+ titles overall, making it one of the largest available at any sweeps casino in the industry. Florida players can find slots, jackpot slots, live dealer games, traditional table games, and even poker among the game formats available at Stake US.
This impressive lineup of casino-style games includes titles from Hacksaw Gaming, Slotmill, Pragmatic Play, OneTouch, and many other top software developers. You’ll also find the Stake Originals series and Stake Live games, which are exclusive titles developed in-house by Stake US.
Stake US functions as the U.S.-facing version of Stake Casino, one of the world’s most popular online casinos. Note that Stake US and Stake Casino are different platforms, as Stake US exclusively offers sweepstakes casino-style games for U.S. players.
You can sign up for a new Stake US account right now and collect $25 in Stake Cash free when you verify your account. This no-purchase sign-up bonus stands as one of the best available among Florida sweeps casinos.
4. Modo.us
With some of the most player-friendly bonuses in the industry and a solid lineup of games, Modo.us makes the list of sweeps casinos that we recommend for Florida players.
Virtually all sweepstakes casinos extend some kind of no-purchase sign-up bonus, but some platforms also offer purchase bonuses that allot free Sweeps Coins when you make your first Gold Coins purchase. Modo.us presents some of the best purchase bonuses in the industry.
The best of those purchase bonuses unlocks 300 SC free when you purchase the $209.99 Gold Coins package. This bonus offer gives you plenty of free Sweeps Coins to try the sweepstakes games at Modo.us.
That game menu offers 900+ games, including slots, jackpot slots, live dealer games, scratchers, and more. The software developers behind those games include heavy hitters like Hacksaw Gaming, Relax Gaming, Pragmatic Play, and several others.
Modo.us is an up-and-coming sweeps casino platform, and it’s definitely worth a try if you’re looking for casino-style action in Florida.
5. Chanced Casino
Chanced Casino presents an outstanding game lineup, a solid lineup of payment options, and one of the best loyalty programs you’ll find at any sweepstakes casino.
The game menu at Chanced Casino offers 1,000+ games. Among those games, you’ll find slot titles, live dealer games, RNG table games, arcade-style games, scratchers, and more.
The game lineup presents something in just about every conceivable format. High-volume players will love the VIP rewards program at Chanced Casino, which is one of the best we’ve found at any sweeps casino in the U.S. market.
Chanced Casino’s VIP program includes six different tiers, and the top tiers have sub-tiers within those tiers. If you put in enough playing time at Chanced, you’ll reap the benefits of a rewards program that’s nearly unparalleled in the sweeps casino industry.
Florida players can sign up for a Chanced Casino account right now and get 2 SC free plus 20 free spins as a no-purchase welcome bonus.
Florida gambling laws: quick snapshot
Florida is home to one of the most complex landscapes in the U.S. when it comes to gambling legalization.
Real-money online casinos are currently restricted in the Sunshine State. Online sports betting and daily fantasy sports are legal, but the long-term outlook for both of those gaming formats is murky at best.
Mobile sports betting is currently legal in Florida, but an ongoing legal battle between the state legislature and the Seminole Tribe of Florida (which essentially owns and operates all aspects of gaming in the state) could put sports betting back on the shelf at any time.
Sweepstakes gaming is legal in Florida, however, and sweeps casinos fall into that category. Sweeps casinos offer a great alternative for Florida players looking for legitimate casino-style games.
Florida sweepstake rules and restrictions
States that allow sweepstakes gaming must follow federal regulations. Most of the 40+ states that offer sweepstakes gaming follow these federal guidelines very closely, and sweepstakes laws are very similar across the states.
Florida sweepstakes laws differ from many other states in the following ways:
- Florida restricts sweepstakes casino wins to a maximum of $5,000 (or the Sweeps Coin equivalent of $5,000) in a single spin or bet. If you win more than $5,000, you’ll only keep $5,000.
- Any sweepstakes operator awarding a prize of $5,000 or more must bond and register the contest at least seven days before it begins.
- Sweepstakes operators must provide the names and addresses of all winners.
- Sweepstakes sponsors must award prizes based on chance and not skill.
Other notable areas of Florida sweepstakes law include:
Sweepstakes contests must allow players to enter with no purchase or payment necessary. Additionally, sweepstakes operators must clearly state this fact to all potential players.
For sweepstakes casinos to abide by the “no purchase or payment necessary” provision, operators must offer “alternative means of entry” (AMOE) that allow players to play the Sweeps Coins games offered at the casino without purchasing anything or spending any money.
All sweepstakes casinos offering games in Florida must meet the AMOE requirement by offering the following methods of obtaining free Sweeps Coins:
- No-purchase (no-deposit) offers
- Mail-in offers
- Social media giveaways
- Daily login bonuses
Sweeps Coins (SC) are a virtual currency that allows players to participate in the sweepstakes games at the casino. Players can redeem SC for cash prizes, usually at a rate of 1-to-1 SC to USD.
Virtually all sweepstakes casinos allot Sweeps Coins as a free gift/bonus with the purchase of Gold Coins (play money currency) packages. While Gold Coins/Sweeps Coins bundles are a great way to get SC, you can always acquire SC for free using the AMOE methods listed here.
You can find more details about the AMOE methods offered by a particular sweeps casino within that casino’s Sweepstakes Rules. The link to the sweepstakes rules page is usually found in the footer or side menu of the main lobby.
Any sweepstakes contest operating in Florida (including sweepstakes casinos) must clearly state the official rules of the contest for all potential players to see.
At sweeps casinos, these official rules are often labeled as “Sweepstakes Rules” (or something similar) and found in the bottom menu or side menu of the main lobby.
A sweepstakes casino site’s sweepstakes rules provide a detailed overview of the Gold Coins/Sweeps Coins system, how Sweeps Coins redemptions work, and the available alternative means of entry, among other rules.
Florida sweepstakes gaming law prohibits sweepstakes operators from promoting a contest by informing players that they’ve been “specially selected” to win a prize.
In most states, the language around this restriction on the “specially selected” promotional tactic reads something like this:
“Specially Selected means a representation that a person is a winner, a finalist, in first place or tied for first place, or otherwise among a limited group of persons with an enhanced likelihood of receiving a prize.”
In other words, a sweepstakes operator can’t legally send a potential player any kind of communication that indicates that the player has already won a prize, and can claim that prize by following certain next steps, etc.
The operator or administrator of a sweepstakes contest is known as the “sweepstakes sponsor.” For sweeps casinos, the sweepstakes sponsor is the casino itself (or the parent company of the casino).
By Florida sweepstakes law, a sweepstakes sponsor isn’t permitted to sell any kind of information that could give a player a perceived edge in the contest.
Florida sweepstakes at the Federal level
If a state wishes to allow sweepstakes contests, it must abide by sweepstakes gaming regulations set at the federal level.
Most of the 40+ states that offer sweepstakes gaming follow these federal regulations very closely, and as such sweepstakes laws are generally very similar from state to state.
Sweepstakes winnings, if they meet certain criteria, are subject to federal income tax in all U.S. states. Some states apply an additional state income tax payment on sweepstakes winnings. Florida doesn’t, as it doesn’t apply a state tax to any kind of income.
Federal laws require sweepstakes contests (including sweeps casinos) to meet the following regulations:
- A sweepstakes is a promotion in which prizes are awarded by chance rather than skill
- Sweepstakes can’t require a purchase or payment as a condition for entry
- Sweepstakes must clearly state official rules, and those rules can’t change once the contest has begun
- Sweepstakes winnings of $5,000 or more are subject to a 24% estimated federal income tax
Some states (including Florida and New York) restrict the maximum amount you can win in a single spin or bet at a sweepstakes casino. In Florida, this amount is $5,000 (or the Sweeps Coin equivalent of $5,000).
Final Thoughts
Florida is a coveted market for the giants of the gaming industry, but real-money online casinos likely won’t appear in the Sunshine State any time soon.
Sweepstakes gaming is legal in Florida, however, and the legal status of sweepstakes contests in general likely won’t change in the foreseeable future.
Sweeps casinos (especially the ones recommended by our experts here at Sweepsy) are the best way for Florida players to enjoy casino-style games on legitimate and secure online platforms.
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