Several well-known sweepstakes casino operators have recently exited Midwest markets. And another has shut down entirely.
As of May 1, WOW Vegas and Rolla Casino have removed Sweeps Coin gameplay from Illinois, as residents in that state will now only be able to play with Gold Coins.
Meanwhile, Ruby Sweeps, as of May 4, has fully exited Indiana.
And then the site for Milky Star Slots recently went offline, indicating a full platform shutdown for that operator.
Same parent company owns WOW Vegas, Rolla Casino
The Illinois Gaming Board issued cease-and-desists to more than 60 sweeps casino operators back in early February. And WOW Vegas and Rolla Casino both received letters.
“The Illinois Gaming Board (the “IGB”) has reason to believe that WOW Vegas/Rolla Casino is engaged in the operation of an illegal online casino in violation of the Illinois Criminal Code. 720 ILCS 5/28-1(a)(12),” the letter to the operators read, in part. “[In January], the IGB observed that you offered Illinois users the ability to play slots (‘Games’) through both the internet and mobile devices. The Games gave users the opportunity to win cash, gift cards, and other prizes in violation of Illinois law.
“The IGB has neither licensed nor authorized [WOW Vegas/Rolla Casino] to engage in online gambling activity. Consequently, WOW Vegas’s activity constitutes illegal gambling in violation of Illinois law. Accordingly, the IGB demands that you block Illinois residents from accessing your services or discontinue offering cash, gift cards, and other prizes through your service.”
Those letters were sent just one month after a spokesperson for the IGB told Sweepsy in an exclusive statement:
“The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) works to maintain the integrity and safety of Illinois gambling. Unlicensed sweepstakes operators and other forms of illegal gambling are not welcome in Illinois. The IGB will continue to evaluate all available regulatory and law enforcement tools to respond to illegal gambling and protect Illinois patrons.”
As things stand today, WOW Vegas excludes Sweeps Coin gameplay in Idaho, Nevada, Washington, Michigan, Montana, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, California, Tennessee, Illinois and Canada (outside Quebec).
For Rolla Casino, that list is the same, as both Rolla and WOW Vegas are owned by the same parent company, MW Services Limited.
WOW Vegas also currently faces two class-action lawsuits in Illinois.
Other operators to recently leave Illinois or shelf Sweeps Coin gameplay in the state include Carnival Citi, Smiles Casino, Rolling Riches, and Spin Saga.
Ruby Sweeps ‘fully shut down access in Indiana’ on May 4
Ruby Sweeps sent the following email to its players in Indiana last week:
Ruby Sweeps will no longer be available in Indiana.
Due to changes in applicable state requirements in Indiana, Ruby Sweeps will no longer be able to offer services in this location.
You may continue to access your account until May 4, 2026 to play through any Emeralds currently available on your account.
Ruby Sweeps will fully shut down access in Indiana on May 4, 2026. After this date, Ruby Sweeps will not be accessible while located in this state.
Indiana became the first state to pass a bill banning sweepstakes casinos in 2026 (House Bill 1052), and Gov. Mike Braun signed the bill into law in March. It will take effect on July 1, 2026.
HB1052 originally would have treated sweepstakes casinos as a criminal offense. But as it moved through the legislature, lawmakers scaled that back. The penalties were reworked into a civil framework instead, and the language was expanded to explicitly include “multi-currency” systems alongside dual-currency models.
Any operator offering sweepstakes casino games to players in Indiana could face fines of up to $100,000 per violation.
So what are sweeps games under Indiana law?
The official definition is:
As used in this section, “sweepstakes game” means a game, contest, or promotion that:
(1) is available on the Internet;
(2) is accessible on a mobile phone, computer terminal, or similar access device;
(3) utilizes a dual-currency or multi-currency system of payment allowing a player to exchange currency for:
(A) a cash prize, a cash award, or cash equivalents; or
(B) a chance to win a cash prize, a cash award, or cash equivalents; and
(4) simulates:
(A) lottery games; or
(B) casino-style gaming, including slot machines, video poker, table games, bingo, or sports wagering.
No more Milky Star Slots?
Milky Star Slots, owned by Digital Dreamscape Ventures, appears to have closed its doors.
The site — milkystarslots.com — is offline. Sweepsy routinely checks in on the site status for most of the notable sweepstakes casinos in the industry, and we at least don’t remember seeing any type of notification or warning of an imminent shutdown.
It was a space-themed sweeps casino that launched back in May 2024. It was the only sweeps casino from Digital Dreamscape Ventures. The website for Digital Dreamscape Ventures is still active, but under its Careers section, it has three identical listings for 3D Designer jobs, and the job descriptions consist of the Latin stock filer copy “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur” repeated three times.
Other sweeps casino operators to shut down recently include Mega Frenzy — from Heuston Gaming — and Kickr — from Laurence Escalante’s Kickr Games Pty Ltd. Even though it’s tied to Escalante, the founder of VGW, the parent company of Kickr Games Ply Ltd. is actually Pixel Pioneers, a smaller Australia-based gaming studio.
