Bingo laws in all 50 states and Washington, DC
This matrix answers a narrow first question: which legal framework should a reader investigate? It does not label every product “legal” or “illegal.” A cash tournament, a promotional sweepstakes, a tribal bingo operation, and a nonprofit bingo night can receive different treatment in the same state.
51 jurisdictions shown
| Jurisdiction | Regulated online casino | Cash skill contests | Sweepstakes | Tribal gaming | Charity bingo | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Alaska | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Arizona | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Arkansas | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| California | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Colorado | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Connecticut | Regulated | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | Online casino gaming is limited to state-authorized tribal partners. |
| Delaware | Regulated | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | Online casino gaming operates through the Delaware Lottery framework. |
| Florida | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Georgia | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Hawaii | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | Highly restricted | The state does not offer a general commercial gambling framework. |
| Idaho | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Illinois | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Indiana | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Iowa | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Kansas | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Kentucky | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Louisiana | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Maine | Authorized, not live | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | Tribal internet gaming is authorized but has not launched; implementation and rulemaking remain underway. |
| Maryland | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Massachusetts | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Michigan | Regulated | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | Licensed online casino gaming is overseen by the Michigan Gaming Control Board. |
| Minnesota | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Mississippi | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Missouri | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Montana | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Nebraska | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Nevada | Limited | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | State-regulated online poker exists, but this is not a broad online casino market. |
| New Hampshire | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| New Jersey | Regulated | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | Licensed internet gaming is overseen by the Division of Gaming Enforcement. |
| New Mexico | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| New York | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| North Carolina | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| North Dakota | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Ohio | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Oklahoma | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Oregon | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Pennsylvania | Regulated | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | Licensed interactive gaming is overseen by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. |
| Rhode Island | Regulated | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | State-authorized online casino gaming operates through the lottery framework. |
| South Carolina | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| South Dakota | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Tennessee | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | Narrow event rules | Charitable gaming authority is narrow and does not create a general bingo market. |
| Texas | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Utah | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | Highly restricted | The state does not authorize commercial casino gambling. |
| Vermont | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Virginia | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Washington | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | Cash-prize app and sweepstakes operators often apply strict exclusions. Check current terms. |
| West Virginia | Regulated | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | Licensed interactive wagering is overseen by the West Virginia Lottery. |
| Wisconsin | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| Wyoming | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | No statewide regulated online casino market. Other bingo models require a separate rules check. |
| District of Columbia | Not authorized | Contest-specific | Promotion-specific | Check NIGC | License or local rules | The District does not have a regulated online casino market. |
How to use the columns
Section titled “How to use the columns”Regulated online casino means a state has a live framework for broad internet casino gaming. It does not mean that every licensed casino offers a traditional bingo room. “Authorized, not live” identifies Maine’s tribal internet gaming framework, which remained in implementation and rulemaking as of September 5, 2026. “Limited” identifies Nevada’s regulated online poker market, which is not a general online casino market.
Cash skill contests is marked contest-specific because legal treatment can depend on the scoring design, the role of chance, entry fees, prizes, and operator restrictions. An app can apply a narrower state list than a general legal summary.
Sweepstakes is promotion-specific. Eligibility depends on the official rules, the free entry route, coin treatment, prize rules, and excluded jurisdictions. State enforcement and operator terms can change.
Tribal gaming points to the federal National Indian Gaming Commission gaming-tribe directory. Tribal authority is tied to a tribe, Indian lands, game class, and sometimes a compact. It is not a statewide online permission.
Charity bingo usually requires a nonprofit qualification, license, limited use of proceeds, and compliance with state or local controls. The exact event type matters.
Primary sources for state online casino frameworks
Section titled “Primary sources for state online casino frameworks”The labels are based on the public authorities responsible for each framework:
- Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Division
- Delaware Lottery
- Maine Gambling Control Unit, for Maine’s authorized but not yet live framework
- Michigan Gaming Control Board
- New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement
- Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
- Rhode Island Lottery
- West Virginia Lottery
- Nevada Gaming Control Board, for Nevada’s limited interactive gaming framework
Each state name in the table links to an official government directory entry. Use that entry to find the current agency or statute when a state lacks a single gaming regulator.
How to interpret a green cell
Section titled “How to interpret a green cell”A regulated market still requires an approved operator, an eligible game, a verified account, and physical presence inside the state at the time of play. Conversely, the absence of statewide online casino gaming does not answer whether a specific skill contest, sweepstakes promotion, tribal operation, or charitable event is permitted.
For an individual decision, read the current platform terms and consult the responsible state authority or qualified counsel.