Online casino games, including slots, are illegal in New York. Once it becomes legal, the state has the potential to become one of the largest markets in the US. Currently, the only states that allow you to play online casino games legally are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Delaware, and West Virginia.
While efforts to legalize iGaming in New York are not getting any headway, there is hope that this will change soon. So, where and how do New Yorkers legally gamble on slots for real money while this is ongoing? Keep reading to find out.
Are Online Slots Legal in New York?
Online casinos and their games, including online slots, are illegal in New York. However, the New York state legislature has been making moves to kick off online casinos ever since online sports betting went live in January 2022. State Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. introduced a bill in 2022 to legalize online casinos, but this took a slow turn in 2023, and things have been moved to 2024.
Fortunately, players who want to enjoy legal online slots gambling can still play on sweepstakes casinos online. These NY casinos allow you to play games similar to those in online casinos, like slots, table games, and live dealer games. They operate within the confines of the law since they use the sweepstakes model, and don’t require real money deposits to play games.
Best NY Sweepstakes Casinos for Online Slots
Sweepstakes casinos are your best bet if you want to play online slots legally in New York. Unlike your regular traditional online casinos, you play games on these sites using virtual currencies, which we will cover in detail later in this guide.
However, we don’t recommend you immediately sign up for just any sweepstakes casino. This is because not every platform is built the same way, with some offering better services than others. Since many online sweepstakes sites exist today, it can be difficult to go through each one for the best option.
Knowing this, our experts have compiled a list of the best NY Sweepstakes Casino sites to play online slots. We handpicked these options based on their bonuses, reputation, online casino gaming features, etc.
🥇WOW Vegas – Best for Betsoft Slots
WOW Vegas is the number one sweepstakes casino we recommend for NY players who want to play online slots. You can play on WOW Vegas using WOW coins for free games or Sweeps Coins for a chance to win real money.
This New York casino features a massive collection of 400+ slot games from top gaming vendors. These include names like Pragmatic Play, Betsoft, 3 Oaks Gaming, and Habanero – some of which are behind games on regular online casinos.
You’ll find slots in different categories, including classic slots, Megaways, and Hold and Win. They also extend across fruits, suspense, mystery, and crime themes. The top titles we recommend you check out include;
- Sugar Rush
- Buffalo King Megaways
- Cleopatra
- Extra Juicy
- The Dog House Multihold
If you want to take a break from slot machines, WOW Vegas features a variety of table games, including blackjack, poker, and roulette. In addition to the large collection of games, it has awesome promotions and bonuses for new and existing players.
NY players who sign up on WOW Vegas using our links to play slot games will receive 8,500 WOW coins and 4.5 Sweepstakes coins over three days. You can use this to play your favorite online slots and casino games. Moreover, you’ll receive a 200% first purchase bonus on the $9.99 package. This gives you 30 Sweeps coins instead of 10 + 1.5 million WOW coins.
In addition, WOW Vegas rewards players with daily login offers, referral bonuses, reload bonuses, and a VIP bonus for loyal players.
🥈Fortune Coins – Best for Progressive Slots
Fortune Coins is another well-rounded Sweepstakes site for players who want to enjoy slot games in New York. This platform lets you play games for free using Gold Coins or for real money using Fortune Coins.
While it offers 200+ slot games, which is less than you’ll find on WOW Vegas – it offers enough to keep any player occupied. There are different categories of slot games here, including Classic and Hold and Win games.
Top software developers like Pragmatic Play, Mascot Gaming, Relax Gaming, and Blazesoft are behind the games. Some of the most popular online slots we recommend here include;
- Gates of Olympus
- Rhino Hold and Win
- Blazing Mustang
- Cash Pig
- Book of Tombs
Aside from online slots, Fortune Coins online casino offers a variety of Fish Games, Keno, and Jackpots where lucky winners can claim millions of free coins.
The best part is that you get a massive sign-up bonus once you sign up here from New York using our link. This is worth 360,000 Gold coins + 1,200 Fortune coins to play your favorite games. In addition, when you pay $10, you get 20,000,000 gold coins and 5,000 fortune coins – thus saving $40!
These benefits don’t end when you become a regular player, either. Fortune Coins frequently offers daily bonuses, mail-in bonuses, social media competitions, VIP rewards, and free spins.
🥉Sweeptastic – Best for Crypto Slots
Sweeptastic is another great sweepstakes online gambling site for New York players. This casino, like the others on our list, lets you play for free using lucky coins or for real money prizes using Sweeps Coins. The slot collection here is excellent, with over 1,000 online slot games from names like Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming, and BGaming.
Some popular slot titles include;
- Diamond Riches
- Sweet Bonanza
- Flaming Fruits
- Elvis Frog in Vegas
- The Dog House Megaways
If you get tired of playing slot games, Sweeptastic allows you to play crypto games, table games, and scratch cards. When it comes to slot bonuses, Sweeptastic does not disappoint either. New players who sign up with our links will get 27,777 LC + 2 SC to play for free.
If you stick around, you’ll find many other offers, including daily login bonuses of up to 10,000 LC + 1SC, mail-in offers, slot battles, and more.
🎖️Pulsz Casino – Top Choice for Megaways Slots
Pulsz Casino is a leading site for New York players looking for a balanced gaming experience. This site features 700 casino games with 500+ slot titles from top software developers. You’ll find games from specialists like Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Playson, and BGaming.
Like other top New York online casinos, you can play games for free using Gold Coins or for real money prizes using Sweeps coins. If you enjoy slots, you’ll always find something to play since games extend across different categories, including classic games, Megaways, and Hold and Win games. To begin, we suggest you check out the following:
- Starburst
- Sun of Egypt
- Sweet Bonanza Christmas
- Aztec Sun
- Big Bass – Hold and Spinner
While the Pulsz New York online casino site features mostly slot games, you’ll also find games like online poker and blackjack available. Register using our link to get an edge when you decide to play slots here, and you’ll receive 2.3 Sweepstakes coins and 5,000 Gold coins. You also get a 200% first purchase bonus on the $9.99/$19,99 coin packages to play your favorite slot games.
In addition, Pulsz rewards you for sticking around. You can participate in daily sweeps coins, jackpot races, weekend tournaments, and a profitable VIP program.
🏅High 5 Casino – Best for Pragmatic Play Slots
This is another well-designed online casino that caters to players in New York. High 5 Casino has a huge portfolio of 600+ slot games from developers like Pragmatic Play and High 5 Games. You can play games for free using Game Coins or for real money using Sweeps Coins and Diamonds.
Since the slot titles are from Pragmatic Play, you can expect only quality titles when you play here. You’ll find slot games with numerous features, including Tumbling Reels, Multipliers, Split Symbols, and Scatter Bucks. Some of the titles available here include:
- Rainbow Reels
- The Mighty Atlas
- Frozen Tropics
- Cyclops Smash
- Fortunes of the Aztec
In addition to slots, you’ll find standard table games and 10 live dealer titles for a realistic experience. High 5 does not take chances when it comes to bonuses, either. Once you sign up, you get a welcome bonus consisting of 5 Sweeps coins, 350 Game Coins, and 600 Diamonds. In addition, slots players will find numerous regular offers, including mail-in bonuses of up to 3SC, referral bonuses, leaderboards, hourly bonuses, and a VIP Scheme.
How to Legally Play Slots in New York
While online casinos are not legal in New York, there are many land-based and retail casinos to play slots here. The Empire State is currently home to 11 land-based casinos, with seven owned by Native American Tribes.
Casino gambling became legal in New York after the passing of the Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988. In 2013, the state made legal provisions to include up to seven commercial casinos for New Yorkers. Four are currently in existence, with preparations for three more to open their doors to players. You’ll find plenty of slot machines, table games, and poker tables in these New York casinos.
So, what happens if you want to play from the comfort of your home instead of tribal casinos? This is where NY sweepstakes online casino sites come in. These casinos let you play games for free or have a chance to win real money prizes in New York. Since they operate using the sweepstakes model, they are legal in almost every US state, including the Empire State. Keep reading to find out how to begin.
Registration Process
Like your regular online casino gambling sites, you must register on sweepstakes online casinos to start playing. The only difference is that you don’t need a real money deposit to begin. To register, pick a New York sweepstakes casino from our list of options.
Then, enter your details, including your email address, full name, phone number, and address. Click the link sent to your email to activate your account. Your account should be instantly created at this point.
Anyone over 18 can register and play from New York.
Standard & Promotional Play
Sweepstakes casinos let you play for free or real money using the Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins. While these are both virtual currencies that you can use to play slots on sweepstakes NY online casinos, they have different functions.
The gold coins allow you to play games for free and have no transactional value. You get gold coins as a bonus when you register, and if you win a slot game with these coins, you get more coins. Also, you can purchase more gold coins via a coin package once you exhaust the ones you get for free.
In contrast, sweepstakes or Sweeps Coins are premium coins that you can trade for real money prizes. The sweepstakes casino credits you with Sweeps Coins as a bonus every time you purchase a gold coin package, as a bonus offer, or when you register on the site. This is the only way Sweepstakes online casinos can operate legally in New York.
All sweepstakes casinos in New York will require users to play through SCs once + to accumulate between 50 – 100 sweeps coins before redeeming them for real money prizes.
Activate Your Slots Bonus
As mentioned, sweepstakes casinos in NY will credit you with bonuses immediately after registering. While you don’t need to deposit funds to claim this bonus, you must verify your identity first. This is particularly important if you want to redeem real money prizes on sweepstakes online casinos.
The process is no different from that of real money online casinos. You must submit your government-issued ID, proof of address, and utility bill. After you have been properly verified, you can now start playing online slots.
Pick a Slot Machine
The next step is to choose the right online slot machine. There are many types of online slots on sweepstakes sites, ranging from classic slots to 3D video slots and bonus buy games. Choose the one that best aligns with your needs and playstyle.
Also, we recommend you go for slots with high RTP. These slots tend to pay back more of your winnings to you over time. Ideally, you want to aim for those that are 96% and above. Lastly, check out the features of the slot games.
It’s best to go for those with numerous features, including bonus rounds, scatters, and free spins. This will give you a better chance of winning often when you play.
Play for Free or Real Money
Sweepstakes casinos let you play games for free or real money. To play free games, you’ll need to use gold coins. If you are lucky enough to win, you get more gold coins as a reward. This is an ideal choice for players who simply want to have fun.
For NY players who want to play slots for real money prizes, they’ll need to use sweeps coins. Once you win enough sweeps coins, you can redeem them for real money prizes. In most cases, 1 SC is equivalent to $1.
Strategies & Tips to Win at NY Online Slots
Online slots are a game of chance, which means there is no certain way to win real money. However, many strategies can help improve your winning chances. The first is to play on legal online casinos like those on our list.
Many offshore New York online casinos promise amazing rewards when you register with them. However, we don’t recommend playing at offshore online casinos because they are not licensed or regulated, so you are prone to playing unfair games. You also risk losing your information and bank details to fraudulent individuals if you choose them for your online gambling activities.
Next, we suggest you first practice via the free mode to get a feel of the slot game. Also, as discussed earlier, aim for high RTP slots since more of your winnings come to you over time. Another important tip is to place small bets to get the full benefit of your bankroll.
Lastly, make sure you play responsibly. Online slots are fun and can quickly become addictive. If you feel exhausted or your mind is not in the right place, take a break and continue later.
Our Recommended Sweepstakes Slots for New Yorkers
There are many great slot games on sweepstakes casinos, but some are more rewarding. Our experts have handpicked 5 online slot games to play in New York using criteria that will be vital to you. Here are some of the top picks offered by casinos in New York.
🥇Money Train 3
Money Train 3 online slot continues the popular Money Train series from Relax Gaming. This slot features 4 rows, 5 reels, 40 paylines, and 96.10% RTP. You can start your wager from as little as $0.10 to a maximum of $10 per spin, which is decent. This slot also offers a maximum win potential of 100,000x your wager, which can be significantly huge if you play with the max bet.
As you would expect, this slot game comes with many unique features. The Money Cart Bonus round is the most rewarding, which you can unlock by landing 3 or more bonus symbols. When you activate this round, the persistent gold symbols replace bonus symbols. Every scatter and persistent symbol you landed when you triggered the reel will stay in place, and you’ll get a persistent symbol at random. When this happens, you receive 3 respins, which continue every time you land a symbol. If you can fill up a reel with symbols, it unlocks a new one, opening two extra reels for more winning potential.
You can use the bonus buy feature if you don’t want to work your way to the bonus game. This comes with a high 96.50% RTP and costs either 20x, 50x, 100, or 500x for 1 respin, 2 respins, 3 respins, or 3 respins + a random persistent symbol, respectively.
You can Visit Pulsz and Fortune Coins casino to play Money Train 3 from New York.
🥈John Hunter and the Book of Tut
Go on an adventure in Ancient Egypt with John Hunter on this slot from Pragmatic Play. The slot game features 3 rows, 5 reels, 10 paylines, and an above-average 96.5% RTP. This slot has high volatility, but don’t let it stop you; it lets you wager from $0.20 to $100 per spin. If you are lucky, you can claim the maximum win of 5,500x your wager – but you’ll need to burn into your bankroll to get this.
Regarding features, John Hunter and the Book of Tut stays basic since it is a classic slot. You’ll find the typical wilds and scatters, which is unsurprising. But this slot truly shines in its free spins feature that you can unlock by landing 3,4, or 5 book scatter symbols on the reels. This lets you win 2x, 20x, or 200x your wager alongside 10 free spins.
A book opens up during the free spins round, and a regular payout symbol is selected randomly. When this symbol shows up, it takes over the entire reel and expands when you complete a winning combination. You can retrigger the 10 free spins unlimited times if you keep landing 3 or more scatter symbols.
You can Visit WOW Vegas, Pulsz, McLuck, or Fortune Coins to play John Hunter and the Book of Tut.
🥉Chilli Heat
Spicy fun, medium volatility, and an above-average 96.5% RTP are some of the reasons why Chilli Heat from Pragmatic Play is on our recommended list. Even though this slot game has a slightly low win potential of only 2,512x your wager, it lets you retrigger your free spins an unlimited number of times like John Hunter and the Book of Tut.
Land 3 scatter symbols on the reels to unlock the free spins feature. You’ll then get a payout of 1x your wager alongside 8 free spins. If you land 3 more scatters during this feature, you’ll get an extra 8 free spins. You can do this an unlimited number of times, thus increasing your winning chances.
Chill Heat also features three jackpots, the Mini, Major, and Grande, that offer 30x, 100x, and 1,000x your wager, respectively. The best part is that these can come up during the base game and the free spins feature.
Head to Sweeptastic or Pulsz casino to play Chilli Heat for free or real money prizes.
🎖️Genie of the Lamp
Enter the enchanting world of Genies with this slot title from Playnova. The animations and titles are similar to Aladdin, the popular Disney movie. It features 4 rows, 5 reels, 35 paylines, and a 96.18% RTP. Players with all budgets can start with Genie of the Lamp, which supports bets from $0.10 to $10 per spin.
This slot comes with numerous bonus features, including wilds and scatters. The genie acts as the bonus symbol, and landing 3 or more on the reels will unlock the bonus rounds, where you get 10 free spins or more. This comes with a retrigger feature, which means you can continue to claim free spins indefinitely. You can also boost your winnings further by landing 3 or more wilds on the reels, which gives you a multiplier of up to 4x your wager. These can significantly boost your winnings if you play your cards right.
If you prefer the easy route, you can use the bonus buy feature named the Play Feature in this slot. You can use this to automatically buy your way into the free spins feature for the offered price. This feature comes with a 96.15% RTP, which is impressive.
Visit WOW Vegas now and play Genie of the Lamp for a unique slot experience.
🏅Buffalo Hold and Win
Booming Games may not be the hottest software developer, but this slot displays its expertise. This title uses the popular Hold and Win system and features 3 rows, 5 reels, and 25 paylines. It takes you through the wilderness via an impressive design and background.
The slot game has high volatility and a maximum win potential of 1,200x your wager, which may not seem that great. However, it makes up for this through numerous features, including wilds, scatters, and free spins. If you land three scatters or more on the middle three reels, you are rewarded with 8 free spins.
The Hold and Win feature is what you need to watch out for. To unlock this, find 6 Coin symbols or more – and you get 3 respins to begin. If you land any new symbols from this point, you reset the free spins to 3. This round also comes with 3 fixed jackpots, the Mini, Major, and Grand, that pay 25x, 100x, and 1,000x your wager.
You can find this slot on Pulsz and Fortune Coins
Play Online Casino Games in New York Today!
There are no online casinos in New York, which means you can’t play real money online slots in the usual way. But sweepstakes casinos are available to fill the void and allow you to play great slot machines for fun or real money prizes.
We have listed the top sweeps slots sites in the Empire State following important criteria alongside everything you need to begin. You only need to pick one of our recommended options to start playing. Make sure you sign up using our links for a chance to claim the maximum bonus and play the top games we’ve handpicked.
