Nys Online Gambling

• Nys Online Casinos
• Nys Online Gambling
• New York State Online Sports Betting
• Nys Online Gambling

Despite a strong land-based gaming presence, New York online gambling has yet to reach the level of its neighboring states. The only option for online casinos in New York is sweepstakes casinos where players can win cash prizes.

As home to a bevy of historic sports franchises, major media corporations, professional sports league headquarters, and a pool of thousands of new sports bettors, New York’s foray into legal sports gambling has been closely scrutinized. New York gambling law does not specifically outlaw online gambling. Thus, players can enjoy real money play at NY online casinos, poker rooms, and sportsbooks without fines or prosecutions. Running an online internet-gambling website is illegal in New York, so don’t become an operator. Otherwise, you’re free to play online.

Notwithstanding the flourishing land-based gambling presence, New York legislators remain hesitant to legalize any form of online gaming. New York launched retail sports betting late in 2019, but the state has yet to legalize online sports betting. Check the latest status of online sports betting in New York here.

New York online gambling continues to run into significant opposition in the state. This includes a long legal battle regarding Daily Fantasy Sports.

New York’s neighbors welcomed online gambling with open arms, making the Northeast somewhat of a hub for digital gaming. Even though the landscape is barren right now, New Yorkers may start to see online options become available in the near future.

New York is further behind its neighboring states when it comes to the availability of online gambling in various forms. New York sweepstakes sites offer the chance for players to have fun with online casino games and online poker while playing for cash prizes.

Online Gambling Options In New York

Online Casinos In New York

New York lawmakers have yet to legalize online casino gaming.

The state seems to have no plans in place to allow online casinos to operate, putting it a few steps behind some of its neighboring states. New Jersey and Pennsylvania, both of which share a border with New York, are seen as online gaming pioneers. Both states adopted online gaming and sports betting early on, offering players a healthy market and plenty of gaming options.

New York remains a few years behind its brethren in the Northeast, and it is unclear if the state plans to authorize online casino gaming anytime soon.

Learn more in our comprehensive Guide To Legal Online Casinos In The US.

What Sweepstakes Products Can I Play In New York State?

The only option for New Yorkers to play online casino games is to do so at sweepstakes online casino sites. New York State is, however, one of only two states that impose strict limits to sweepstakes cash prizes. The other is Florida.

If the cash prize can exceed $5,000, the operator has to file a Games of Chance Registration (form DOS0255-f) with the New York Department of State. That means playing any of the sweepstakes sites as a New York resident restricts your cash prize potential to $5,000.

However, the State of Washington has outright outlawed social gaming sites, so New York State at least allows all of the online sweepstakes options.

Online Casinos In New York

You have your choice of two sweepstakes casinos in New York State: Chumba Casino and LuckyLand.

Chumba Casino has a larger selection of slots as well as blackjack, American roulette, and Jacks or Better video poker. Their progressive jackpots are also massive and better than most traditional online casinos. However, the no-purchase welcome package isn’t the best.

LuckyLand has a more modest selection of slots, but still has over 30 titles. They also have a couple of digital scratch cards, which is a unique form of slots not offered by Chumba.

Further, their no-purchase welcome bonus is fantastic, rewarding players with up to 10 Sweeps Coins.

Online Poker In New York

Global Poker is the only legitimate social poker site available to people in New York. As it stands, only four states offer traditional online poker, and New York isn’t one of them.

The good news is that Global Poker offers a huge player pool that extends to all of the US and Canada except for the State of Washington and Quebec. That means thousands of players are actively using the site every month.

At Global Poker, you can play using Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins. If you have enough Sweeps Coins in your account for redemption, you can do so in the form of a gift card or cash prize.

How Are Sweepstakes Casino Sites Different Than Online Gambling Sites?

Sweepstakes sites don’t take deposits. Instead, you purchase the website’s proprietary currencies, which are Gold Coins (GC) and Sweeps Coins (SC). Only SC can be redeemed for a monetary reward.

Online gambling sites simply take deposits in local currencies, allow members to bet on their games with that money, and you can withdraw the remaining balance in your account. While different online gambling sites have different terms and conditions, that’s the general overview of how it works.

Sweepstakes sites, on the other hand, allow you to redeem your SC for cash prizes or gift cards. You cannot purchase SC either, you can only receive it for free, either as a bonus for purchasing GC or through a few other methods. We’ll get into more details in the next section.

Another big difference between social gaming sites and gambling sites is the legality. Real-money online poker is available in just four states (DE, NJ, NV, and PA). And online casinos are legal in the same states minus Nevada. Sweepstakes sites are legal in every state and Canadian province except Washington and Quebec, respectively.

However, in terms of the selection of games, the differences are fairly negligible.

Check out our full guide to Sweepstakes Casinos In The US.

Can You Win Real Money At Sweepstakes Casinos And Poker Sites From New York State?

You can win cash prizes from sweepstakes sites like social casinos, Global Poker, and FendOff sports. Here’s how it works:

When you join a sweepstakes site, you receive both Gold Coins (GC) and Sweeps Coins (SC). Playing games using GC is strictly for fun and cannot result in any cash prizes. However, playing with SC can earn you cash prizes.

To redeem SC for a cash prize, you need to play using the SC at least once for it to be considered “cleared” or “redeemable” SC. You also need to have enough to meet the minimum requirements for redemption.

For example, at Chumba Casino, cleared SC 10 can be redeemed for a gift card. But you need SC 100 to receive a cash prize.

Of course, you’re using your SC to play games of chance, which means it’s likely that you’ll run out before you can redeem it. To receive more, you have a few options:

• Purchase GC packages, some of which include a set amount of SC.
• Participate in the sweepstakes site’s social media contests.
• Mail in a request for free SC.
• Take advantage of daily, weekly, and seasonal bonus offers.

What Kinds Of Bonuses Do Sweepstakes Casinos And Poker Sites Offer To Players In New York State?

Generally speaking, bonuses are different from simply purchasing Gold Coins (GC) at full price and receiving SC as a bonus. At social gaming sites, the bonuses that players look for involve receiving free Sweeps Coins (SC) for free or through a discounted purchase.

Registration Bonus

It’s required by law for sweepstakes gaming platforms to award you free SC when you create an account. This applies to all four sites without exception.

Daily Sign-In Bonuses

At Chumba Casino, you receive a free SC just for logging in every day after you create an account. But remember that you need to play with the SC first before it can be redeemed for a cash prize.

Social Media Contests

Some of the sweepstakes sites host daily and weekly social media contests. Entry is free, and the prize potential is a large amount of SC in your account.

Mail-In A Sweeps Request

Like the sweepstakes of yesteryear, you can mail in a request for free SC directly to the social gaming site. Check their terms for more specific directions.

Discounted Gold Coins Pack

Whether through your account on the site or in your registration email’s inbox, you’ll be routinely offered discount GC packages that include SC.

For example, one received recently from LuckyLand was a $5 GC pack that included 15 SC.

What Kinds Of Games Are Available At New York State’s Sweepstakes Poker Sites?

Global Poker has a huge player pool. Even 888Poker and WSOP combining their pools across three states can’t compete with Global Poker’s reach across the US and Canada.

At any given moment, but especially at peak hours, hundreds of players can be ready to play against you through a variety of game types and formats.

The way the stakes work are very similar to more traditional online poker sites. Global Poker also takes a rakeback of 5% on all pots. The 5+ player cap for rakeback is SC 4, which is the most Global Poker takes on a single event.

Unlike gambling online poker sites, you don’t need to download anything to play at Global Poker. You can play directly on both your computer’s web browser and your mobile device’s web app. All non-sweepstakes American online poker sites require that you download an app to play.

At Global Poker, the game formats for every type of game are Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Crazy Pineapple. You play using chips that represent either Gold Coins (GC) or Sweeps Coins (SC). Since playing in SC is the most popular option, we list the stakes below in SC rather than GC.

As you can see, you can play SNG, MTT, and ring games, and the different stakes are comparable to all major non-social online poker platforms. But instead of USD, the Global Poker stakes are in SC or GC, player’s choice.

What Kinds Of Slots Can I Play At Sweepstakes Casinos?

Both Chumba and LuckyLand offer a large selection of slots that span all the genres and styles of games. Combined, New Yorkers have their choice of around 100 titles.

Unfortunately, neither Chumba nor LuckyLand offer a very intuitive navigation. They don’t offer a search bar much less filter options. That means you have to browse every choice and base your selection either on the cover or the progressive jackpot.

Chumba has a slightly more intuitive setup that at least has a “Recently Played” section. So once you find your games of choice, you can easily find them in that section.

All games are available to play in either Gold Coins (GC) or Sweeps Coins (SC). You can’t play any of the games in demo mode. But if you set the stakes low on GC, you can play with the millions of free coins you receive forever.

To receive a cash prize or gift card, you’ll need to play with SC. Therefore it’s recommended to use GC to become familiar with the game before you risk SC. This will give you the best odds of success.

Here is a table of the top 10 best slots at sweepstakes casinos in terms of win potential at the time of writing this article.

What Other Casino Games Can I Find At Sweepstakes Casinos?

While slots make up the vast majority of options at both Chumba and LuckyLand, you can find a few other gaming options that allow you to play in either Gold Coins (GC) or Sweeps Coins (SC). Here’s an overview of each option:

Blackjack (Chumba)

Chumba Casino offers a blackjack with better return to player (RTP) than most of their slots. It also has some rules that are good for the player, and some that are bad.

Good Rules

• Blackjack pays 3 to 2
• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Doubling down on split hands
• Can split aces

Bad Rules

• All 6 decks shuffled after every hand
• Doubling down only on 9, 10, or 11
• No surrender

In terms of online blackjack with stakes that range from SC 1 to SC 100, it doesn’t get much better than this.

American Roulette (Chumba)

American roulette is the worst roulette variation in terms of RTP. European roulette is better, French roulette is the best.

The reason is because of two green pockets rather than one, and French roulette refunds 50% of lost chips if the ball lands in the single green pocket.

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Jacks Or Better Video Poker (Chumba)

Jacks Or Better has one of the lowest RTPs in the casino. It’s underrated namely because it’s most commonly found mounted into bar tops at Vegas casinos. But make no mistake: the RTP can be even better than blackjack.

Digital Scratch-Offs (LuckyLand)

Digital scratchers are set up just like a physical scratch-off lotto ticket you’d buy at a New York State corner store or gas station. You receive winning symbols, then “scratch off” your hidden symbols in the hopes that one or more match the winning symbols.

At LuckyLand, you have two options, and the largest possible prize is SC 25,000.

New York Online Gambling Status

Here’s a rundown of New York online gambling options aside from sweepstakes casino sites. This includes those that are still prohibited and when the state might be expected to legalize them.

Online Sports Betting In New York

Throughout 2020, it seemed the likelihood of online sports betting coming to New York was slim. Now, with the state facing a crushing budget deficit, for the first time, Governor Andrew Cuomo seems to be open to the idea. State Senator Joe Addabbo is hoping to have the legalization of mobile sports betting on the agenda for the April 2021 budget.

If the legalization passes the state legislature, it could mean that New York would be able to compete with its neighbors, at least on the sports betting front. This is becoming even more important for New York as other Mid-Atlantic states, including Maryland and Virginia, could launch online sports betting in 2021 as well.

See our complete Guide To New York Sports Betting to learn more.

Online Horse Racing In NY

Horse race betting is one of the few online gambling options available to players in the Empire State.

New York has a number of race tracks and off-track betting facilities, but the state also allows online horse race betting via a number of reputable sites.

TVG, BetAmerica, and TwinSpires are three of the most popular sites players use to bet on horse races onlineor on mobile. Betting isn’t limited to in-state tracks, races, or events. If you use an online betting operator, you’ll have access to races from around the world. This gives bettors in New York a wide variety of betting options.

See our comprehensive review of Online Horse Race Betting In The US.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports is facing some significant challenges in New York, though operators are still live. Players can sign up and start playing with popular sites like DraftKings or FanDuel, though the future of Daily Fantasy Sports is murky in New York.

In 2016, the state ruled Daily Fantasy Sports completely legal. In early 2020, however, a state appeals court declared the law that originally authorized DFS to be unconstitutional.

Another appeal is expected, meaning that DFS remains in a legal grey-area in New York. For the time being, operators can continue to run contests in the lucrative market. This brings a clash to the state. New York historically opposed online gaming in all forms, but the US at large–especially the Northeast–has started to embrace the digital age of betting.

For now, DFS continues in the state, though that could change as the courts issue new rulings based on the appeals.

See our complete guide to Daily Fantasy Sports Site in New York.

Online Lottery

The New York Lottery offers a plethora of game types, including draw games, scratch cards, instant tickets, and many more.

Unfortunately, The Empire State does not allow online lottery sales. Players can purchase lottery subscriptions online, which allow lotto enthusiasts to enjoy lottery games on a regular basis, anywhere from two-week increments to a full year.

New York State Online Casinos & Sweepstakes FAQs

Yes. Many of New York’s land-based gambling hubs have mobile apps for Android and iOS. These apps do not offer online gaming, however. Usually, they are geared towards providing information, booking hotel rooms, and claiming special offers and other functions that help you plan your visit.

Some casino apps have play-for-fun casino games that allow players to enjoy slots and table games for in-game currency, but these games do not allow you to win real money.

18. The legal age to play social gaming sites in New York State (and everywhere else in the US) is 18 and up.

Before you can redeem your Sweeps Coins for a gift card or cash prize, you’ll need to verify your identity.

So while anyone with an email can create an account, no one under the age of 18 can benefit financially from a sweepstakes offer in NYS.

No, not directly.

However, Sweeps Coins (SC) that you win playing the sweepstakes games can be redeemed for a cash prize or a gift card. The more redeemable SC that you have, the higher the value of your cash prize or gift card.

You do not need to make a purchase to receive SC and win a cash prize. However, to participate in the sweepstakes, you do need to play any games using SC at least once.

The average daily users for Global Poker is hard to come by. But from our experience, Global Poker has a larger pool of players than even the largest legal online poker sites in the US. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Poker numbers continue to grow at a steady and impressive rate.

No. Once an online casino, poker site, or sportsbook accepts deposits, they become a gambling site in the eyes of New York State.

Social gaming sites avoid that distinction by not accepting deposits. Instead, they allow members to purchase Gold Coins (which may include Sweeps Coins) using a variety of payment methods.

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However, Visa and other methods may be restricted. That’s why we recommend Skrill, an e-wallet that you can use to purchase Gold Coins as well as redeem cash prizes.

As mentioned beneath the previous question, Skrill is the best way to receive your cash prize from a sweepstakes site. It’s quick and easy to create a Skrill account, and its navigation and setup is similar to PayPal.

New York State Online Sports Betting

However, PayPal has been recently separating itself from sweepstakes sites as they gain popularity. We don’t see the same happening for Skrill, which is a world-renowned e-wallet that’s specifically popular for online gaming.

No. Anyone of age can play at a New York casino, so you don’t need to be a resident to play there.

The only requirement to play at a New York casino is age. Anyone 18 or older can play at a casino if there is no alcohol served. Some tribal casinos don’t serve alcohol, thus allowing anyone 18 or older to play at their properties. If a casino serves alcohol, the age minimum is 21.

No. New York prohibits online casino gaming.

Nys Online Gambling

Sweepstakes casino sites like Chumba or Luckyland are allowed to operate because they use a sweepstakes model. While these are available in New York, use them with caution because the operators use legal loopholes to offer their games in states with strict gaming laws.