The American Gaming Association (AGA) has published a new study. The document presents a cross-section of public opinion about sweepstakes casinos.
The survey involved 2,250 customers of real-money web casinos, F2P social platforms, and prize-draw projects. Most respondents consider the latter a form of gambling.
Brief Information about the AGA
The Association is a unified trade group that represents the interests of the entertainment sphere’s members in the United States.
Among its members are:
- bookmakers;
- industry affiliates;
- iGaming content providers;
- commercial and tribal ground casinos.
The organisation is a voice of the country’s certified operators and actively fights against all forms of sweepstakes. This vertical is unregulated in most states. Only a few of them have introduced relevant legislative bans.
Fundamental Points of the Study
The AGA’s analytical report delivered the following statistics:
- 90% of respondents consciously visit prize-draw platforms and perceive them as one of the gambling categories, such as slots;
- 68% of research participants consider winning a considerable sum as the main goal of joining the sessions;
- 69% of surveyed people see sweepstakes as an entertainment format for real money.
Of those 90% visitors, 31% believe such websites can be «probably» called gambling projects, while the remaining 59% are totally sure.
The study also showed that 80% of prize-draw portal customers place bets at least once a month. About half of them take part in sessions weekly. In states where this type of activity is not controlled, people play twice as often.
Advertising heavily impacts the distribution of traffic in the industry. The AGA’s analysts claim that over 50% of casino marketing content seen by consumers in 2025 was related to sweepstakes.
Other important notions from the study:
- about 35% of regular prize draw customers are people aged 31 to 40;
- the 2nd-largest group of participants (27%) are users from 41 to 50;
- the gender distribution is almost equal: 51% are men, and 49% are women;
- nearly 42% earn less than $50,000 annually, which is below the US average;
- around 38% of the surveyed pool have only a high school diploma or even lower.
One of the main differences between such entertainment and classic gambling platforms is that bets are made exclusively in a special currency, Sweeps Coins. This point is legally enshrined, and owners of niche projects often base arguments on it, claiming that their websites do not relate to iGaming.
In practice, various exchange mechanisms and alternative methods of funds circulation have formed around the market. Thus, tokens are often raffled off as prizes in slots and similar products. According to the AGA’s data, 95% of respondents noted that the availability of Sweeps units in Gold Coin suites is important to them.
Duplicate Behaviour Patterns
The study showed that the habits of draw-based casino users are almost identical to those of the audience that prefers regulated iGaming services. Similarities can be seen not only in activity but also in the demographic composition.
For 82% of traditional web gambling clients, the main motivator is the possibility of winning. The reasons for starting a session are also the same: 67% of respondents come to the platforms for cash rewards.
The iGaming demographic structure is also almost identical:
- 33% of users are 31−40 years old;
- 26% are people aged 41−50;
- 43% make less $50,000 yearly;
- 39% have high school diplomas at max.
A slight difference is observed only by nationality: 73% of whites enjoy real-money games, while in the draw segment, this figure reaches 69%. Hispanics are more likely to try sweepstakes (11%), with only 8% of them participating in regulated online sessions.
Strengthening Legal Control Over the Industry
Just a year ago, Sweeps Coin wagering remained unrestricted in 47 states. Today, this segment is represented unchanged in less than 40 regions.
Regions where sweepstakes are completely banned:
- Idaho;
- Nevada;
- Montana;
- New York;
- Washington;
- Connecticut.
Additionally, New Jersey recently joined the list. The local assembly approved the corresponding bill on August 15th.
A number of states have initiated dozens of lawsuits aimed at stopping illegal activity. For instance, in the summer of 2025, 40 orders were issued in Louisiana to close sweepstakes, of which 20+ have already been executed. A similar situation is observed in West Virginia, with 47 subpoenas sent to niche operators. The effectiveness of such a strategy has led to its rapid spread in other jurisdictions.
The method can already be seen in:
- Arizona;
- Delaware;
- Mississippi;
- Maryland, etc.
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