In 2025, US states fundamentally reshaped their approach to sweepstakes casinos, shifting from passive tolerance to active resistance. What had long existed in a legal grey zone—platforms offering casino-style games under promotional sweepstakes models—came under intense regulatory scrutiny. State lawmakers and regulators, alarmed by consumer complaints, revenue leakage, and weak player protections, began reclassifying these operations as unlicensed gambling. A wave of enforcement actions, legislative amendments, and public warnings followed.