One of the largest sweepstakes casino companies has made a significant change for all its platforms in Illinois.
Blazesoft, the company behind Yay Casino, Zula Casino, Luck Party, American Luck, Fortune Wins, Sportzino, and WinBonanza, informed its Illinois players this week that its sweeps casinos would no longer support Sweeps Coin gameplay in the state.
The emails went out June 5, which was the final day players could play games with Sweeps Coins.
Players can, however, continue playing in Indiana with Gold Coins.
Last day to redeem Sweeps Coins is June 7
Here is the content of that June 5 email, which had the subject line: Final Notice: Important Update for Illinois Users.
Dear Player,
As of June 5th, 2026, 2:00 P.M. (EDT), Yay Casino has officially discontinued gameplay using Sweeps Coins in the State of Illinois.
What this Means for you:
If you are an existing user from Illinois, you will no longer be able to play any games using Sweeps Coins. However, you can continue to enjoy our games using Gold Coins.
For players with a Redeemable Sweeps Coins Balance:
If you have already completed your KYC and qualify for redemption, you have until June 7th, 2026, 11:59 P.M. (EDT), to redeem your Sweeps Coins balance. You will not be able to redeem your balance after that date, and your Sweeps Coins balance will be forfeited.
What happens to your data?
We take our responsibility regarding end-user privacy and data protection very seriously. Your data will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy, as we are committed to and adhere to data protection and privacy protection principles.
That quick turnaround is important to note: Sweeps Coin gameplay ended in Illinois on June 5, and players have until June 7 to redeem their Sweeps Coins — otherwise, their Sweeps Coin balance will disappear.
All this stems from February cease-and-desists
Other well-known sweepstakes casinos have also made recent changes in Illinois.
Stake.us added Illinois to its list of excluded territories on May 19. Shuffle.us also left Illinois in May, and Dara Casino exited the state on June 1.
All these platforms are either leaving Illinois or at least removing Sweeps Coin gameplay due to a heavy presence of cease-and-desist orders in the state.
On Feb. 5, the Illinois Gaming Board, working alongside the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, announced it had served cease-and-desist notices to more than 60 sweepstakes casino operators and offshore sportsbooks operating in the state.
Some operators have left despite not receiving a cease-and-desists — such as Onyx Odds, likely sensing a market with this amount of cease-and-desist orders may not be a safe jurisdiction for a smaller operator to tempt fate.
For their part, Stake.us, Shuffle.us, and Dara Casino all did receive cease-and-desist letters.
So, too, did American Luck, Fortune Wins (then called Fortune Coins), Sportzino, Yay Casino, and Zula Casino. Luck Party and WinBonanza didn’t receive a cease-and-desist order, but obviously Blazesoft made the decision to remove Sweeps Coin gameplay from all its properties in Illinois in one, universal move.
“The Illinois Gaming Board (the “IGB”) has reason to believe that Yay Casino is engaged in the operation of an illegal online casino in violation of the Illinois Criminal Code,” read the cease-and-desist sent to Yay Casino, in part. “On January 15, 2026, 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 Yay Casino to engage in online gambling activity. Consequently, Yay Casino’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. Failure to do so may subject you, your affiliates, and business partners to civil or criminal penalties.”
No other state has publicly reported enforcement action on the scale of Illinois.
For comparison, Louisiana sent cease-and-desists to more than 30 operators in June 2025, while New York announced the shutdown of 26 operators through similar efforts earlier that same month. Illinois’ action beat both those campaigns by a considerable margin.
And it came just a month after the IGB provided Sweepsy with an exclusive statement on the status of sweepstakes gaming in the state:
“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.”
Illinois isn’t the only state sites are leaving
A large number of operators are also leaving Indiana and Maine right now.
There are no cease-and-desists in those states. Instead, they were the first two states to enact laws banning Sweeps Coin gameplay at sweepstakes casinos this year. Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Tennessee followed suit later in the 2026 legislative session.
Sweeps Coin gameplay will officially become illegal in Indiana on July 1. The same will happen in Maine in mid-July. Some operators — such as Modo.us and ACE Casino — made changes in both states in May. Modo.us ended Sweeps Coin gameplay, while ACE pulled out entirely.
Others are waiting until the last minute. McLuck, Hello Millions, PlayFame, and SpinBlitz — all sites belonging to B-Two Operations — will wait until July 15 to exit Maine and July 1 to leave Indiana.
