Home / Sectors / Sweepstakes casino
Sweepstakes casino
$14.3B in Gold Coin sales in 2025
Sweepstakes casinos grew roughly fourfold between 2022 and 2025. Now paid search and social are closing, and 10 states have banned the model by statute. TV bought state by state is one of the few scaled channels left.
The map
A map that moves every month.
California's AB 831 took effect January 1, 2026. Indiana, Maine, Tennessee and Louisiana followed this year, and Oklahoma's ban started November 1. Operators also exclude Washington, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, Delaware and Maryland.
We re-check the map before every flight.
The read
What matters in this market.
The digital doors are closing
On October 28, 2025, Google moved sweepstakes casinos out of its social casino ad category, so search ads now need full gambling certification. In October 2026, Florida's attorney general wrote to Google, Meta, TikTok, Snap and Reddit about sweepstakes ads.
TV can follow the legal map
CTV excludes banned states at household level. Linear needs more care, because some DMAs cross state lines. We plan those markets one by one and document every exclusion.
Vendor liability is real
California's AB 831 extends liability to media affiliates that knowingly support an illegal sweepstakes game. We only buy where the model is legal, and we keep the paperwork.
How we classify
A redeemable second currency plus an alternative method of entry (AMOE) makes it a sweepstakes product, whatever the operator calls it. Classification decides the plan, the networks and the clearance package.
Statutory bans in effect
| State | Law | In effect |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | A5447 | August 15, 2025 |
| New York | S5935A | December 2025 |
| California | AB 831 | January 1, 2026 |
| Tennessee | SB 2136 | May 22, 2026 |
| Indiana | HB 1052 | July 1, 2026 |
| Maine | LD 2007 | July 2026 |
| Louisiana | HB 883 and HB 53 | August 1, 2026 |
| Oklahoma | SB 1589 | November 1, 2026 |
| Connecticut, Montana | 2025 statutes | In effect |
| Excluded by operators | WA, ID, MI, NV, DE, MD | Existing law or enforcement |
Why TV here
Built for this category.
Clearance is the real gate
Expect networks to ask for official rules and a legal position before they take a sweepstakes spot. We build that package before we ask for inventory.
A category that buys TV badly
Most sweepstakes TV runs as untargeted national cable with no state logic and no measurement. A geo-fenced, measured plan spends less and holds up when a regulator asks questions.
The media
What you can reach.
How it's bought
Four routes in. Two are yours.
Most US networks need a US-registered entity, US credit or a US agency of record (AOR) before they'll take an order. Element Media Direct is a US company and can be that AOR.
| Route | Timing | Read |
|---|---|---|
| The upfront | 12 to 18 months ahead | Big annual commitments. The wrong door for a market entrant. |
| Scatter | 2 to 13 weeks ahead | Your linear entry. Flexible, market-priced, includes local DMA buys. |
| Programmatic CTV | Days | Fastest way in. Geo-fencing built in. Minimums around $25K to $50K. |
| Managed service | Weeks | Direct with Hulu, Peacock, Amazon and YouTube. Minimums around $100K. |
What it costs
Directional CPMs.
CPM is cost per thousand impressions. These are typical 2026 ranges; your plan gets real quotes.
| Format | Typical CPM | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Live sport (NFL, NBA) | $9 to $40+ | The most expensive inventory in US TV, and the strongest betting adjacency |
| Broadcast primetime | $6.50 to $30+ | Mass reach and the trust that comes with it |
| Premium CTV | $6.50 to $30 | Geo-fenced, measured, brand-safe |
| Programmatic CTV | $4 to $23 | The workhorse of a compliant launch |
| National cable | $2 to $18 | Efficient frequency |
| AVOD (Tubi, Pluto, Roku) | $3 to $15 | Cheap incremental households |
| Local broadcast and cable | $1.50 to $10 | State-level and DMA-level reach at regional cost |
Live in 30 days
Signature to on air.
Map and plan
Legal map confirmed. Target states, audiences and budget set. A plan across linear DMAs and CTV. Creative brief agreed.
Produce
Script to finished spot, with official-rules disclosure, no-purchase-necessary language and responsible-play messaging built in at production.
Clear and book
Network clearances secured. CTV built with state geo-fencing. Linear placements booked.
Launch and measure
CTV goes live and linear flights start. The measurement baseline is set on day one.
Measurement
TV you can hold to a number.
Weekly reporting on cost per first purchase, by state, daypart and creative. If TV isn't paying back, you'll hear it from me first.
Geo-level incrementality
Matched-market tests across DMAs and states. The cleanest way to show TV caused the growth.
Impression-level CTV data
Every impression logged by household geography, feeding cost per first purchase by state, daypart and creative.
Spike analysis
Minute-by-minute response in downloads, site traffic and branded search after each linear spot.
Marketing mix modeling (MMM)
TV's contribution read alongside every other channel, so budget follows evidence.
The US TV Playbook for Gaming OperatorsFree download
The US TV Playbook
All 7 categories mapped. Who can advertise where, how US TV is bought, what it costs, and how to measure it so finance signs off.
Contact
Tell me what you're trying to do in the US.
You'll talk to me directly. If TV isn't the right next dollar for you, I'll say so.