CFDB Drives Action Against Illegal Sweepstakes Casinos

June 1, 2026  

Jim Durkin and Mike Frisch delivered a significant win for Chicago based CFDB gaming client, Rush Street Interactive, a market leader in developing, supplying, and operating regulated online gaming sites in the Americas. CFDB’s Durkin and Frisch were hired to investigate the legality of the rapidly growing unlicensed online sweepstakes games in Illinois.

Throughout the country, state regulators have been moving quickly to stop these illegal operators with their dual sweepstakes casinos, platforms the mimic online casinos and sportsbooks. These platforms exploit legal gambling loopholes by offering non-monetary “gold coins” and another currency known as “sweeps coins” that can be exchanged for real monetary products.

Since the spawning of this dubious business practice, sweepstakes casinos generated $10 billion in sales in 2024 per an industry report. This same study estimates illegal sweepstakes in the state of New York accounted for $762 million in 2024 sales. These operators operate illegally without any state licensing, regulations, nor play by the same rules as legally sanctioned online casinos, such as Rush Street Interactive.

The investigation and research by Durkin and Frisch prompted the Illinois Attorney General and Illinois Gaming Board to issue cease-and-desist letters to 65 illegal sweepstakes operators ordering them to block Illinois resident from these games. Many of these operators have or are in the process of shutting down their Illinois platforms.