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You’ve probably heard by now: sports betting in Georgia is illegal. So is casino betting. This makes Georgia one of the strictest states against betting in general.
On the sports betting front, it is one of 11 states without a legal betting market. That’s rather shocking given how deep the sports culture runs in the Peach State, from the Dawgs to the Hawks and all the other local teams in between.
Of course, there’s still an appetite for betting among locals. Up to this point, popular offshore sportsbooks have filled the void. But as of late, there’s a new kid on the block — social/sweepstake casinos. Keep on reading, and we’ll tell you how they’ve caught fire in Georgia, and the rest of the country.
Social Casinos Are Having A Moment
Social casinos have absolutely exploded in popularity over the last two years. All across the country, we’re seeing sites like Stake or Fliff eat into the market share of licensed betting apps like DraftKings and FanDuel.
Some of you might be reading this and asking, “what the hell are will casinos anyway?” These are sort of, kind of online casinos. Though it’s not technically a casino sort of, kind of. Confused? Yeah, so are regulators across the country.
You see, sweepstakes are skirting the rules because you don’t use traditional money to make bets online. Instead, players buy one type of virtual currency just to play for fun — think of it like tokens at an arcade. But along with those, they’re handed a second type of coin called “sweeps coins.” These can be used to play games that pay out real cash prizes.
That’s the legal loophole that they’ve been exploiting, especially in states without any forms of betting like Georgia. Since no purchase is required to get sweeps coins, these sites claim they’re not running a gambling operation. Instead, they’re hosting promotional sweepstakes. It’s a technical distinction, but it’s enough to keep regulators at bay (for now).
Legal or not, there’s no mistaking this: the space is massive. These games are pulling in over $8.5 billion globally, and nearly half of that is from the United States. Why? Because it’s legal everywhere. Even in states like Georgia that won’t touch real gambling with a ten-foot pole, social casinos step in and scratch the itch without crossing legal lines.
The Fun Might Not Last Forever
Spoiler alert: states and betting operators aren’t happy at all about the rise of sweepstakes casinos. Obviously, they’re missing out on money thanks to these new platforms. Operators lose out on money that could’ve been bet with them. States, on the other hand, lose out on tax revenue if they have a legal marketplace. So there’s been a push from many to curb the growth of these new sites.
Florida is ground zero right now. A lawsuit there went after VGW Holdings, the company behind Chumba and Luckyland. Plaintiffs argued the sites were breaking Florida betting laws, which allow only the Seminoles Tribe to offer legal gambling. The case got tossed on a technicality — VGW is based in Australia — but the fight isn’t over. It’s moving to Delaware, where the stakes could get even bigger.
Other states are taking action too. Michigan has already fired off cease-and-desist letters to sweepstakes sites, calling their promotions illegal gambling. California’s watching closely. We could write an entire article on the other states trying to clip the industry’s wings.
All of it is very reminiscent of the rise of Daily Fantasy Sports in 2016. Apps like DraftKings and FanDuel exploited their own legal loopholes to offer pseudo sports betting — before it was legalized almost everywhere. In the end, none of them were banned, and actually, they parlayed their DFS success into sports betting dominance. Could social casinos do the same?
No Faulting Georgia Bettors
Georgia has yet to try to crack down on sweepstakes casinos, but we think it’s just a matter of time. But when lawmakers do come for the industry, they should blame themselves — not bettors.
Georgia bettors never really had a choice. Year after year, lawmakers float a sports or casino betting bill, and year after year, it falls apart before anything meaningful can happen. In 2025, things got even worse — the House didn’t even vote on a brand-new sports betting proposition. They just let the clock run out.
Why? Because Georgia can’t agree on the basics. Some lawmakers think betting needs a constitutional amendment. Others say it can slide in under the lottery. That split has stalled everything. Meanwhile, five straight legislative sessions have ended the same way: with nothing passed and nowhere to bet legally.
Sweepstake casinos have filled the void of millions of would-be bettors in Georgia. Not only that, but they’re left fun playing experiences. These sites have somehow “gamified” an already age-old game.
These sites aren’t perfect, but they’re currently legal, fun, and — most importantly — available. That’s why they’ve caught fire across the state. Because after five years of “almost,” bettors are tired of waiting. If the state won’t legalize betting, the market will find a way around it. That’s exactly what happened here.
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