Sweepstakes gaming is legal in Texas, as it is in more than 45 U.S. states. These casino style sites provide you with the opportunity to play slots or blackjack and redeem any winnings for real cash prizes.
Popular sweeps casinos like Hello Millions Casino, Stake US, and Wow Vegas fall under the umbrella of sweepstakes gaming.
This guide presents an explanation of Texas sweepstakes laws, the legality of sweepstakes casinos in the state and small reviews of the most popular sweeps casinos available in the Lone Star state.
Quick snapshot of Texas’s status
| Available in Texas: | Yes |
| # of sweeps / social casinos: | 60+ |
| Are winnings taxed: | Not at the state level, but federal taxes apply |
| Max prize payout: | N/A |
| Minimum age: | 18 |
| Last updated: | December 2024 |
Are sweepstakes casinos legal in Texas?
Yes. Texas law permits sweepstakes contests, and sweeps casinos fall into that category.In Texas, sweepstakes contests must award prizes based on chance and not skill.
Federal sweepstakes laws dictate that sweepstakes contests must offer ways to participate without buying a product or service. Texas sweepstakes sites abide by that statute by allowing multiple alternative means of entry (AMOE), including mail-in offers, social media giveaways, and other promotions that give away free Sweeps Coins.
There are more than 60 sweepstakes casinos accepting players in Texas. Let’s look at a few facts about Texas sweepstakes casinos:
- Legal age: 18
- Prize payout restrictions: Texas doesn’t restrict the maximum amount you can win on a single spin or bet, unlike New York and Florida, which cap the max win at $5,000.
- Taxable income: Sweepstakes winnings aren’t subject to state income tax in Texas, but you still have to pay the estimated federal tax rate of 24% on winnings over $5,000.
Top sweepstakes casinos in Texas
As mentioned, more than 60 sweeps casinos are at the disposal of Texas players, including many of the top casinos recommended here at Sweepsy. Not all sites are worth playing and some have difficulty processing prizes.
For this reason, we’ve spent hours researching to provide you with a list of the best sweepstakes casinos available in the Lone Star State:
1. Wow Vegas
You’ll find that we have lots of great things to say about Wow Vegas Casino here at Sweepsy. It’s one of our favorite overall sweeps sites, and it’s high on the list of our recommended Texas sweepstakes casinos.
Slot enthusiasts will find just about anything they’re possibly looking for at Wow Vegas. The game lineup puts a major emphasis on slots, and the developers behind those slots include Pragmatic Play, ReadyPlay, BGaming, Betsoft, and many other top gaming software companies.
More 800+ total games await Texas players at Wow Vegas. Most of those titles are slots, but you’ll also find live dealer games, Slingo, and more.
Wow Vegas offers lots of different ways to collect free Sweeps Coins, including daily, weekly, and monthly contests. These challenges, along with a player-friendly VIP rewards program, makes Wow Vegas one of our go-to casinos for players in Texas.
You can sign up for a new Wow Vegas account and get 5 SC free to start your journey.
2. Hello Millions
Hello Millions is a relatively new addition to the list of sweeps casinos accepting players from Texas. This visually stunning platform shines in several different areas, and it’s become one of our favorite casinos in the last few months.
The game menu at Hello Millions features 1,100+ games, including progressive jackpot slots, live dealer games, Slingo, and more. The software companies behind these games include industry titans like Booming Games, RubyPlay, Habanero, and Playtech Live.
The Sweeps Coins bonuses available here make Hello Millions an appealing choice for Texas players looking for a new sweepstakes casino platform. In addition to a 2.5 SC no-deposit sign-up bonus, you can also take advantage of purchase offers that allow you to collect 115 SC when you make a total of $69.97 in Gold Coins purchases.
You’ll see these bonus opportunities appear for each of your first three purchases at Hello Millions. Be sure to take advantage of all three to collect the maximum amount of free SC.
Hello Millions is already a strong contender as one of the top sweepstakes casinos available in Texas, and we expect the platform to keep improving.
3. Stake.us
If you’ve checked out our site here at Sweepsy, you’ve noticed our glowing reviews of Stake US. This casino is quite possibly the best all-around sweepstakes casino available in the U.S. (and in Texas).
Stake US is the U.S. version of Stake Casino, one of the world’s most popular online casinos. With a top-notch sign-up bonus and a robust selection of games, Stake US is a must-try for Texas sweeps casino players.
You can sign up for a new Stake US account and collect up to 55 SC free with no purchase required. This bonus comes in two parts – a $25 SC sign-up bonus and an additional 30 SC when you claim the daily login bonus every day for your first 30 days on the site.
The game library at Stake US includes 700+ titles, including slots, jackpot slots, live dealer games, arcade-style games (like Plinko), and more. These games come from some of the best developers in the gaming industry, including BGaming, Hacksaw Gaming, Evoplay, Pragmatic Play, and more.
Stake US only allows cryptocurrency for purchases and redemptions for now, but look for traditional banking methods to be added to the payment options list soon.
4. Modo.us
Modo.us is another relative newcomer to the U.S. sweepstakes casino scene. If you’re looking for a Texas sweeps casino with lots of games and generous purchase bonuses, you should definitely check out Modo.us.
You’ll find 900+ games on the roster at Modo.us. The lineup includes slots, live dealer games, arcade-style games (called Dare2Win games at Modo), scratchers, and table games.
The developers behind those games include plenty of big-name companies, including Relax Gaming, Booming Games, Playson, Pragmatic Games, and several others.
Modo.us offers several different first-purchase bonuses, and you’re going to score some free SC no matter which one you choose. The best of these offers is a very player-friendly 300 SC with a $209.99 Gold Coins purchase.
The purchase bonuses alone make Modo.us worth checking out, and we highly recommend that you do so if you’re for a solid all-around sweeps casino in Texas.
5. Chanced Casino
Chanced Casino offers a huge game lineup, robust VIP rewards program, and plenty of payment options as parts of an overall excellent sweeps casino platform.
The game menu at Chanced Casino includes 1,000+ games, incorporating slots, live dealer games, table games, and more. The game selection includes titles from Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming, Relax Gaming, and a few other top software developers.
Chanced Casino is home to one of our favorite VIP rewards programs. This multi-tiered loyalty program should really appeal to players who enjoy putting in high volume and reaping the rewards of frequent play.
Texas players can sign up for a new account at Chanced Casino and get 2 SC free plus 20 free spins.
We strongly recommend Chanced Casino for Texas players, and it’s well worth putting in your lineup of go-to sweepstakes casinos.
Texas gambling laws: quick snapshot
While more than 30 U.S. have given the green light to legal online gambling in some form, Texas remains in the group of states in which no form of real-money online gambling is currently legal.
Much like California (which also doesn’t permit real-money online gambling), Texas is one of the most coveted markets for would-be online sports betting and casino brands. We don’t expect anything to change in terms of online gambling legalization for Texas any time soon, however.
Sweepstakes gaming is legal in Texas, however, as it is in more than 45 U.S. states. Sweepstake casinos are the best way for Texas players to enjoy casino-style action at legitimate online gaming sites.
Sweeps casinos fall under the category of sweepstakes gaming, a different form of gaming than real-money online gambling. Let’s take a look at the sweepstakes laws that govern Texas:
Texas sweepstake rules and restrictions
Most of the 45+ U.S. states that allow sweeps casinos govern sweepstakes gaming with very similar laws and regulations.
All sweepstakes operations (including casinos, sports picks sites, and traditional sweepstakes contests) must follow state and federal gaming laws.
Texas sweepstakes laws follow federal regulations pretty closely. One unique provision in Texas sweeps laws states that a sweepstakes operator can’t give automatic entries with each purchase if it’s giving away a prize of more than $50,000. That provision doesn’t really apply to sweeps casinos, however.
Some of the key areas of Texas sweepstakes law include:
Sweepstakes casinos (and all sweepstakes contests that operate in Texas) must clearly state that players can enter the sweepstakes with no purchase or payment necessary.
Texas laws require that all sweepstakes must offer “alternative means of entry” (AMOE) that allow players to enter the contest without purchasing anything or spending any money. In the case of sweepstakes casinos, this message pertains to the Sweeps Coins games offered by the casino.
Sweepstakes casinos meet that requirement by offering the following AMOE for collecting Sweeps Coins for free:
- No-purchase (no-deposit) offers
- Mail-in offers
- Social media giveaways
- Daily login bonuses
Almost all sweepstakes casino sites utilize Sweeps Coins (SC). SC is a virtual currency that players can use in the sweepstakes games at the casino. You can redeem SC for cash prizes, usually at a rate of 1-to-1 SC to USD.
Most sweeps casinos offer Sweeps Coins as a free gift/bonus when you purchase Gold Coins (play money) packages. While these bonuses are great, you can always collect SC for free using the alternative methods of entry listed above.
You can find more details about AMOE at a given casino within the casino’s Sweepstakes Rules. The link to the sweepstakes rules can usually be found in the footer or side menu of the main lobby of a sweepstakes casino.
Any sweepstakes contest (including sweeps casinos) must clearly state the official rules of the contest for all players to see. The official rules at a sweeps casino are usually labeled as “Sweepstakes Rules” (or something similar) and are found in the footer or the side menu in the main lobby.
The sweepstakes rules of a casino give an overview of how the dual-currency system and Sweeps Coins redemption work, as well as listing all of the available AMOE for free Sweeps Coins.
Federal gaming law prohibits sweepstakes operators from sending communications that inform potential players that they’ve been “specially selected” to win a prize.
The language around the “specially selected” provision in most states’ sweepstakes laws 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 cannot legally send you a communication that indicates that you’ve already won a prize, and can claim the prize by following certain next step(s).
A “sweepstakes sponsor” is the operator or administrator of a sweepstakes contest. In the case of a sweepstakes casino, the sweepstakes sponsor is the casino itself (or the parent company of the casino).
By state law, a sweepstakes sponsor isn’t permitted to sell any kind of information that could give a player an advantage in the contest.
Texas sweepstakes at the Federal level
Sweepstakes gaming is legal in 47 states. Those states must follow a set of federal sweepstakes laws very closely.
Sweepstakes laws are generally pretty similar across all states. You’ll see a few differences in sweepstakes laws in some states however.
Players must pay federal taxes on applicable sweepstakes winnings in all U.S. states. Some states require an additional state income tax payment on sweepstakes winnings (although Texas doesn’t).
Federal laws require sweepstakes contests and casinos to meet the following criteria:
- A sweepstakes is a promotion in which prizes are awarded by chance rather than skill
- Sweepstakes can’t require a purchase as a condition for entry
- Sweepstakes must have 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 income tax on the federal level
Some states place a restriction on the maximum amount you can win in a single jackpot or bet at a sweepstakes casino. In New York and Florida, for example, the maximum possible win is $5,000 (or the Sweeps Coin equivalent of $5,000).
Final thoughts
We imagine that Texas will settle on a set of online gaming laws at some point, with mobile sports betting as the most likely form of online gambling to get the green light in the Lone Star State.
Real-money online casinos are probably years away in Texas, however. Texas players don’t have to miss out on casino-style action though, as plenty of our top recommended sweepstakes casinos offer their services in the state.
We aim to promote only the best legitimate sweeps casinos here at Sweepsy. Check back with us often for the latest information on Texas sweepstakes casinos.