Local gambling laws prohibit Tennessee online casinos—or traditional ones, anyway. While TN online casinos aren’t a thing, casino-style games certainly are! You can still access hundreds of social and sweepstakes casinos with free-to-play games while staying on the right side of the law. Some of the top platforms include Real Prize, Crown Coins Casino, Stake.us, Jackpota, and Moonspin.
But how do you know which suits your gaming preferences, where are the best chats, and who gives the biggest bonuses? In this article, we’ll go over each brand and give you the lowdown on our experience with all the best Tennessee online casinos.
In Tennessee, casinos and gambling in general are illegal—and have been for over 100 years! So, it makes sense that there’s no real money online casino in Tennessee, since there are no physical real money casinos either.
Not to worry! If you live in the Volunteer State, it’s still possible to enjoy casino-style gaming and sports betting online. You can do this via several licensed social casinos, sweepstakes casinos, and sportsbook sites, and it’s completely legal.
| ⚡ Physical retail casinos | 🚫 Illegal |
| 🎩 Physical “bookies” (sportsbooks) | 🚫 Illegal, except for some low-level pools organized by private individuals with an entry fee of less than $25 and a total value of under $1,000 |
| 🎰 TN online casinos | 🚫 Illegal |
| 🎯 Online and mobile sportsbooks | ✅ Legal, only with licensed operators |
| 🎱 Online social casinos | ✅ Legal |
| 🎮 Online sweepstakes casinos | ✅ Legal |
| 🔞 Minimum age | Generally 21+, although some social and sweepstakes casinos allow 18+ |
| 🔢 Number of licensed TN sportsbooks | 12 |
| 📍 Number of online social and sweepstakes casinos | 150+ |
| 🚀 Casino-style games available | Table games, slots, live dealer games, and more |
| ⚽ Sports available to bettors | Professional and college-level sports like football, basketball, and hockey |
| 💸 State income tax on sweepstakes prizes? | No |
| 💰 Federal income tax on sweepstakes prizes? | Yes, generally 24% if your prizes exceed $5,000 in a year |
| 💼 Industry regulators | Tennessee Sports Wagering Advisory Council (SWAC) for sports betting, no dedicated regulatory body for social and sweepstakes casinos |
Sweepstakes and social casinos allow you to play games without needing to spend money. They’re not considered gambling, so they operate under different laws and are allowed in many US states, including Tennessee. Since a traditional TN online casino would be illegal, they are the only way to play. It’s a similar situation across the nation. For example, Iowa online casino sites are illegal, while sweepstakes and social casinos are allowed.
With sweepstakes online casinos, there are two types of currency: Gold Coins (GC) and Sweepstakes Coins (SC). Neither have any cash value. Gold Coins (GC) are only used to play games. Sweepstakes Coins (can be used to play games, but they can also be redeemed for prizes, usually in the form of gift cards or cash. The rewards depend on the casino, but generally speaking, you can redeem 1 SC for $1 reward as long as you meet various eligibility criteria like minimum playthrough and KYC verification. While there’s no purchase requirement at a sweepstakes casino, you can buy packages of GC to enhance gameplay. You can’t buy SC—they’re always free. So, you have to get them through things like mail-ins, entering social media competitions, or claiming daily login bonuses.
At an online social casino, you can play games to your heart’s content! But there are never any opportunities to redeem virtual currency for real cash prizes. Whatever virtual currencies are used in the game, stay in the game. You can still buy packages of Gold Coins and, in some cases, in-game items. Sort of like how you can buy skins, armor, or expansion packs in a video game. The emphasis here is purely social, and alongside many games, you’ll find chat boxes with lively player communities.
As we mentioned earlier, you won’t find any options for a real money online casino in Tennessee (a Tennessee online casino would be illegal). But when it comes to engaging social play, thrilling sweepstakes, and fast-action casino-style games, you’re spoiled for choice.
We spent a decent chunk of time going through the various sites and evaluating them on things like game offerings, site ease-of-use, SC bonuses, and real cash rewards.
These are our top five picks. All of them offer both social casino and sweepstakes games and are great alternatives if you were hoping to find a Tennessee online casino.
Real Prize is popular among slots fans, with 700+ Vegas-style social casino games from big-name providers like Jini Studios, Red Tiger, and Swintt. If table games are more your style, you can get stuck into classics like Blackjack, Roulette, and Texas Hold’em, as well as exciting Video Poker. So, you don’t need a Tennessee online casino to play casino-style games!
The 18+ age restriction at Real Prize is lower than many other sweepstakes casinos. In general, the site feels accessible and welcoming—they set you up with a tidy sum of GC and SC just for registering. You’ll get a very respectable 625,000 Gold Coins, 125 Sweeps Coins for free, and 1,250 VIP Points added to your account after signing up.
When you visit Crown Coins, you’re greeted with the statement that it’s the “#1 social casino in America.” Quite the claim! To be honest, it’s easy to see why once you have a look around, and they’ve got the stats to back it up. Their Trustpilot rating of 4.6/5 speaks volumes.
One of the best things about Crown Coins Casino is that they’ve embraced the 21st century and have a well-functioning mobile app! Unfortunately, it’s only available for iOS devices right now, but don’t panic: the website is optimized for mobile browsers anyway. While a firm favorite among slots players thanks to high RTP rates, it’s worth noting that there are currently no table games available.
In terms of a welcome bonus, you get 100,000 Crown Coins (this casino’s version of Gold Coins) and 2 Sweeps Coins. To claim, simply register—no CrownCoinsCasino promo code required.
Stake.us is an industry behemoth when it comes to game variety. Although it’s not technically a Tennessee online casino, you get access to over 3,000 familiar titles, including scratch cards, table games, slot games, live dealer games, and Stake Originals like Plinko and our personal favorite, Mines.
The site is well laid out, and the search feature makes it super easy to find the game you’re looking for. If you’re into the social side of social casinos, Stake.us should be right up your street. The chat rooms are always active—right now, we can see there are almost 11,000 users online. We definitely feel more of a sense of community when playing on this site.
At Stake.us, the welcome bonus will get you 560K GC + 25 Stake Cash + 3.5% rakeback. That’s among the highest SC and GC from any platform on our list. So, is Stake.us the best social casino to play at if you’re in TN? Find out more in our Stake US review to find out.
Jackpota’s high-contrast website is refreshingly easy to navigate, with more than 700 games well-organized into categories like Social Live Casino, Jackpot Play, Classic, Megaways, Hold and Win, Unlimited Play, and Slots. There’s even a For You section, which is a nice touch.
There’s no VIP program at Jackpota. That being said, there are regular tournaments, promotions, and giveaways where you can win GC and SC prizes and claim exclusive bonuses. So you still get a fair share of free coins. For instance, the free welcome bonus includes 7,500 GC and 2.5 SC.
Moonspin.us is probably one of the more attractive social casino and sweepstakes sites. The design is modern… futuristic, even! Navigating it is a much nicer experience than—let’s be real—some of the clunky, older-style casino sites. So, it looks snazzy, but how is the gameplay? We’re pleased to report that it’s glitch-free, RTP percentages are above industry standards, and the games are fun. We most enjoyed the Moonspin Originals like When Moon Bro, Hilo, and Wheel of Fortune. But if you prefer classics, there’s everything from Bingo to Tournament Games and Hold and Win. When you register, you get 60,000 GC and 3 SC for free to get your gaming experience underway.
As it stands, Tennessee online casinos are outlawed, and there are no plans to change that anytime soon. Of course, that news is not as bad as it sounds, since social casinos and sweepstakes casinos are still a viable option if you’re looking for some gaming entertainment!
Whether you prefer the colorful chaos of slots, the calculated calls of Blackjack, or one of the thousands of other games available, there’s a platform to suit your playing style. From our top picks, CrownCoins Casino stood out for its fantastic service, while Stakes.us blew the competition out of the water with the sheer number of games.
Now it’s time for you to get out there and explore the platforms. Don’t forget to claim your free GC and SC (Stake.us offers the biggest welcome bonus) by tapping on the banners, and most importantly, have fun!
No, online casinos are not legal in Tennessee. However, social casinos and sweepstakes casinos are legal, since you can play the games without paying, and you don’t wager or win money.
No, but when you enter sweepstakes, you can win Sweepstakes Coins, usually called Sweeps Coins (note some casinos call them differently). These coins may be redeemed for prizes like cash or gift cards, though you must meet eligibility criteria.
There are officially no TN online casinos, as they’re illegal under state law. Social casinos and sweepstakes casinos are different from traditional casinos because they offer free-to-play games, and you can’t win money.
If you’re thinking of crossing the border to access an online casino, it’s not quite so simple. For example, cross to the north, and you’re in Kentucky. There’s no such thing as a Kentucky online casino, either. They’re illegal, too. Drive further north, and you’ll reach Indiana. If you search Indiana online casino, you’ll quickly see that they’re illegal. Like TN, sports betting is possible online, as are sweepstakes and social casinos.
21+ and present in VA. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
