State entries on this map are organized by issue, not reduced to a verdict. These are the categories each entry works through:
- Ordinary promotion or paid/dual-currency model. A conventional brand giveaway and a platform that sells coins or credits tied to prize play are different legal questions inside the same state. A state that is routine for one can be a serious problem for the other, so every entry answers the two models separately.
- Registration and bonding thresholds. A small number of states require advance registration, bonding, or both for prize promotions above defined value thresholds, with their own filing timing and record rules. Entries flag whether the state has such a regime and where the primary source lives.
- Gambling-definition risk. How the state defines lottery, gambling, and consideration controls how much room a paid or chance-based mechanic has. Definitions differ more than operators expect, and the differences decide close cases.
- Promotional-game statutes. Some states regulate promotional games and contests directly: disclosure obligations, prohibited structures, and formats singled out by statute. These rules sit on top of the general gambling analysis, not instead of it.
- Model-specific positions and recent enforcement. Several states have taken positions aimed specifically at dual-currency, casino-style sweepstakes models, through legislation, attorney-general action, or enforcement activity, and the list is moving. Entries record what the state has actually done, with dates and primary sources.
Why no legal/illegal column: a one-word answer per state would have to ignore the model, the mechanics, and the date, which are the three things the analysis actually turns on. A generic verdict that flattens those variables is not honest analysis, and I would rather publish nothing for a state than publish that.
Each card below becomes a dated, primary-source-linked entry when it clears legal review. Cards are not links yet: I do not publish placeholders that pretend to be analysis.
State entries publish as they clear legal review, each carrying its own review date and primary-source citations, and the banner at the top of this page records the last primary-source review across the map. Until a state's entry is live, this page makes no claim about that state's law. And once an entry is live, it is still an informational reference: it describes the issue landscape, not your product. Whether a specific promotion or platform is lawful in a specific state depends on the mechanics, the footprint, and the date, which is what a matter-specific opinion analyzes. If that is what you need, start with the opinion tiers.
Ask the AI Legal Analyst about your state footprint
Attorney-supervised, not legal advice. Describe your product and the states you serve and get a structured read on the issues before you decide on scope.