The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) issued a series of cease and desist letters aimed at sweepstakes casino and poker operators last week, with more than 60 entities in total receiving the letters.
The IGB acted in coordination with the Attorney General’s office, and the letters made it clear that the IGB and the Attorney General believe sweepstakes operators are operating in direct violation of Illinois laws.
Among the 60+ targeted entities were Chumba Casino, Fliff, JefeBet, Pulsz, and Legendz, as well as two social poker operators, Global Poker and Stake US.
All operators were instructed to take immediate action to cease their operations in the state of Illinois and block Illinois residents from accessing their sites or face civil and criminal penalties. Such actions would have a significant impact on online poker in Illinois.
IGB Administrator Marcus D. Fruchter said: “Illegal online gambling operations threaten customer protections, undermine responsible gaming safeguards, and are antithetical to the public’s interest in regulated gaming.”
IGB’s statement further clarified that gambling in Illinois is only allowed in regulated venues, such as riverboat casinos, licensed land-based casinos, and sportsbooks regulated under the Sports Wagering Act.
Two of the Four Sweepstakes Poker Operators Targeted
While the majority of the sweepstakes operators that received cease and desist letters from IGB this month are focused solely on providing sweepstakes casino gaming, two sweepstakes poker platforms were also on the list.
Global Poker, the world’s biggest sweepstakes poker site, and Stake US poker, which has had a significant presence across the country over the last couple of years, will both have to stop offering services to Illinois customers.
Interestingly, ClubWPT Gold and Clubs Poker, the other two sweepstakes poker operators available in Illinois, did not receive any letters in this wave.
That said, the mass exodus of sweepstakes sites, expected in the coming weeks, will likely result in all sweepstakes poker and casino operators stopping their IL operations, similar to what happened in states like California, New York, and Montana over the last 12 months.
Sweepstakes Poker Crackdown Continues
In 2025, sweepstakes operators across the US faced significant challenges, as a number of states cracked down on sweepstakes gambling and forced operators out of their borders.
Among these were California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Montana, Tennessee, and Arizona, some of which already have regulated iGaming markets of their own, while others are still working on iGaming bills, which might come into effect over the next couple of years.
The wave of cease and desist letters issued by IGB and the Illinois Attorney General this month follows a similar pattern to other states, with operators and game providers pulling their games and Sweeps Coins play over the course of a few weeks before the official enforcement announcement was made.
While social gaming proponents have continually tried to push for sweepstakes operators to be treated differently from offshore casinos, citing responsible gambling efforts, state regulators across the US seem to be more and more inclined to ban sweepstakes and ensure that only fully regulated gambling operators can offer any form of gaming with real money prizes.
Will Illinois Get a Regulated iGaming Market Soon?
Just days before the IGB issued its cease and desist letters, the Illinois legislature introduced HB4797, a bill that seeks to create a fully regulated iGaming market within the state.
The bill, sponsored by State Rep. Edgar Gonzalez, seeks to authorize regulation for online poker, slots, live dealer games, and virtual casino games, with the operators paying a 25% tax on their iGaming revenues.
The bill is hardly the first attempt to regulate online gambling in Illinois, as similar bills were defeated time and time again, dating all the way back to 2017, with the Video Gaming Terminal industry being the biggest opponent of regulation.
Worth over $3 billion a year, the VGT industry in Illinois remains quite powerful in 2026, with more than 50,000 machines installed across the state and a powerful lobby likely to seek to block HB4797 as well.
Interestingly, this new iGaming bill also includes a provision that would allow Illinois to join the MSIGA, which would be good news for potential online poker operators, who could seek to combine Illinois player pools with those in states like New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, which are already signatories of the Interstate Compact.
Whether iGaming regulation passes the legislature this year or not, a full sweepstakes ban in Illinois is likely.
