Stake.us now lists 20 restricted states, leaving access open in 30. Four public player suits and a government case are also still unresolved. Here’s what players should check in 2026.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve tracked the Stake.us state changes and lawsuits tied to the platform. We’ve found that Stake.us is still available under its sweepstakes model in most US states, but access has already changed in some places.
Illinois is now on the restricted list after Stake.us included it in May. Indiana and Iowa have July 1, 2026 as deadlines for sweepstakes casinos to leave the states, Maine has a mid-July deadline, and Oklahoma has a November 1 deadline. There are also four public player lawsuits and a government case tied to Stake.us, Drake, and Adin Ross.
Redeem Your Winnings Before State Ban
If your state may soon restrict Stake.us, don’t leave your SC sitting there until the last day. Once an account moves into redeem-only mode, you’ll still be able to log in and request a redemption, but you won’t be able to play anymore.
If you’re in redeem-only mode, the first step is to log in at Stake.us and go to Wallet > Redeem:
- The minimum redemption amount for bank transfer is 50 SC.
- Meanwhile, the minimum redemption amount is different when it comes to crypto, because it depends on the coin you choose and the fee shown in your wallet.
- For example, on 10th June 2026, the minimum redemption for BTC was 38.87 SC, with a 0.53 SC fee.
Before you request a redemption, keep some points in mind:
- Any SC received as a bonus with a GC purchase must be played through three times before it becomes eligible for redemption.
- You get one redemption request per 24 hours.
The main deadline states to watch out for are Indiana and Iowa on July 1, 2026, Maine in mid-July, and Oklahoma on November 1, 2026.
If you’re in a fully blocked state and can’t access your account, don’t use a VPN. Contact Stake.us support directly, keep screenshots of your SC balance if you have them, and ask how to redeem any eligible SC.
Similar Casinos Still Available in Your State
Some Stake.us alternatives may still be available where you live. You can compare the main options in our full guide to sites like Stake.us, which looks at similar platforms by games, mobile access, rewards, playthrough, and redemption rules.
A few alternatives are worth checking first:
- CrownCoins: A great option for newer players, with an easy-to-understand layout and Crown’s Exclusive games.
- LoneStar Casino: A useful option if you care about VIP rewards. Its VIP scheme includes different reward levels, birthday gifts, and personal hosts at higher tiers.
- SpinQuest: A better fit if you mainly want more games. It has 1,000+ titles, giving players more choice than many smaller sweepstakes casinos.
- MyPrize: A good Stake.us alternative if you like original games and social features. It has its own versions of popular games like Plinko, Mines, and Keno, plus creator rooms where players can join live sessions.
- PICKEM: One of the closer options for players who enjoy Stake Originals-style games. PICKEM has its own versions of Crash, Plinko, Mines, HiLo, and Limbo.
Before signing up anywhere, make sure to check your state against the platform’s latest terms. Restricted-state lists can change quickly, and a site being available today doesn’t guarantee it will stay available if state rules change.
You Can Still Play In These States
The easiest way to check your state is to read our full Stake.us legal states guide, which tracks the latest available and restricted states in one place.
The main thing to remember is that “available” means available under Stake.us’s sweepstakes/social casino model, which is why the Stake.us restricted states list doesn’t always match the usual U.S. online casino map.
Stake.us Is Still Live in 30 States - But the Map Is Changing Fast
The Stake.us Terms and Conditions list 20 excluded states, leaving 30 states where it’s still available (if we include the states with upcoming deadlines, which we’ll get into).
Still, the Stake.us restricted states list has changed several times, and more state rules are now coming into effect in 2026. Here’s what’s putting pressure on Stake.us right now:
- State exits, with one of the most recent being Illinois. In February, the Illinois Gaming Board issued more than 60 cease-and-desist letters to entities believed to be operating illegal online casino and/or online sweepstakes gaming platforms, including Stake.us. As a result, Stake.us has left Illinois and listed it as one of its restricted states.
- New laws are closing grey areas, like Indiana and Iowa both having July 1, 2026 as effective closing down dates. Maine is also a mid-July risk, while Oklahoma has until November 1, 2026.
- There are also four public player suits tied to Drake and Adin Ross, filed in Missouri, New Mexico, Virginia, and New Jersey. These cases are separate from the LA City Attorney’s California action, which is a government case rather than a player suit.
Why Are State Regulators Having an Issue With Stake.us
The legal issue around Stake.us comes down to how sweepstakes casinos work, with Stake.us using Gold Coins (GC) for standard social play and Stake Cash (SC) for promotional sweepstakes play. Since Stake says that no purchase is necessary to play and SC can’t be bought directly, it argues that it doesn’t offer real money gambling.
In many US courts, a game or activity constitutes gambling if the three elements of the common law definition are present:
- Prize: Something of value can be received.
- Chance: The result depends at least partly on luck.
- Consideration: The player has to give something of value to take part.
Sweepstakes operators argue that the third part is missing, because players can get SC for free.
However, some regulators and lawmakers are looking at the other side of the model:
- SC can be redeemed for prizes: The terms set at Stake.us say that 1 SC is used as the equivalent of $1 when calculating prize redemptions, which is why plaintiffs argue that SC works like a cash-value substitute.
- The games are casino-style: The games look familiar to regulators because they are similar to casino-type games, and they are being played with a currency that can lead to prize redemption. That’s why newer state laws are targeting dual-currency sweepstakes casinos more directly.
- Free entry may not settle the question: The counter position is that no purchase is necessary and SC can be obtained without buying GC. However, states are now testing if that free route is enough to keep the model outside gambling law.
Four Cases Bringing Attention to Stake.us and Sweeps Casinos
The Stake.us lawsuits involving Drake and Adin Ross are civil cases, not criminal charges. They’re still allegations and Stake.us has denied all claims. The Stake.us Drake lawsuit has drawn attention because the claims focus on livestream promotion and alleged “house money”.
For players, the main point is the marketing claims: if you signed up after watching a Drake or Stake.us Adin Ross stream, the cases speak to that experience.
| State | Filed | Defendants | Core allegation | Status |
| New Jersey | Apr. 22, 2026 | Drake, Adin Ross, DJ Akademiks, George Nguyen, Stake, Kick | Plaintiffs claim Stake.us broke New Jersey’s sweepstakes rules. They also claim Stake, Kick, and the named influencers used promotions and online content to bring more players to the platform. The filing also includes fraud claims linked to DJ Akademiks. | Unresolved |
| Virginia | Dec. 31, 2025 | Sweepsteaks Limited, Drake, Adin Ross, George Nguyen | Plaintiffs claim Stake.us was promoted as safe social play, while operating more like a casino-style platform. They also claim Stake’s tipping system was used to move money linked to music-stream botting. | Unresolved |
| New Mexico | Oct. 29, 2025 | Sweepsteaks Limited, Drake, Adin Ross | Plaintiffs claim Stake.us was promoted as a social casino, while functioning more like an online casino. The case also repeats the claim that Drake and Adin Ross used funds provided by Stake during promotional streams. | Unresolved |
| Missouri | Oct. 27, 2025 | Sweepsteaks Limited, Drake, Adin Ross | Plaintiffs claim Stake.us operated as an illegal casino-style platform in Missouri. They also claim Drake and Adin Ross made their Stake streams look like personal play, while allegedly using “house money” provided by Stake. | Unresolved |
