Delaware Pushes RealPrize And LoneStar Out In Sweepstakes Crackdown

Affiliate Disclosure: Some links on Gambling Nerd are affiliate links. If you use them to sign up or deposit, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. These rewards help fund new guides, but they never influence our verdicts. Our recommendations are based on independent research and our own ranking system.
Quick Glance at the Facts
- Delaware’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) sent cease-and-desist letters to sweepstakes casino operators in mid-August 2026, and RealPrize and LoneStar are leaving the state.
- Sweeps Coins play in Delaware ends August 21, 2026, redemption requests run through September 21, and remaining funds must be withdrawn by September 22.
- Delaware is acting through enforcement, not a new ban law, citing the Delaware Constitution, the state Penal Code, and the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012.
Delaware’s gaming regulator has forced two sweepstakes casinos, RealPrize and LoneStar, to pull out of the state after issuing cease-and-desist letters in mid-August 2026. This matters because it shows Delaware can shut down a sweepstakes casino market with one round of letters, without passing any new law.
What The DGE Cease-And-Desist Actually Does
RealPrize and LoneStar are both owned by RealPlay Tech Inc., and the company told players their real-money-style Sweeps Coins games would end in Delaware within days, as Bright Side of News reported on August 18, 2026. RealPlay set clear dates: Sweeps Coins play stops on August 21, redemption requests are accepted until September 21, and players must withdraw remaining funds by September 22, 2026.
The Delaware Division of Gaming Enforcement says offering real-money games from an unlicensed operator breaks state law. It pointed to the Delaware Constitution, the Penal Code, and the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act of 2012, the law that decides who can offer online gaming in the state.
This is not Delaware’s first move. As the state announced in April 2025, the DGE pushed sweepstakes operator VGW Luckyland out of the state after finding it misrepresented casino-style games as a promotional sweepstakes, according to the state’s own release. VGW runs the brands Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker, and the DGE first sent it a cease-and-desist letter in February 2023. More than 30 sweepstakes platforms have exited Delaware since the DGE started this enforcement, according to Gambling Insider.
What Comes Next For Delaware Players
Some details are still unclear. The DGE has not said how many operators got letters this time, and only RealPrize and LoneStar have been named. It also has not confirmed whether any fines came with the action. What is clear is that Delaware keeps enforcing against sweepstakes casinos rather than writing a new statute, so more operators could quietly exit to avoid a fight.
If you play at RealPrize or LoneStar from Delaware, log in, redeem any prize coins before September 21, and cash out your balance before September 22, 2026. Players in other states keep their access for now. Delaware still runs licensed, regulated online casinos through the Delaware State Lottery, so real-money play is not going away in the state. If you want other options, our guides to sweepstakes casinos and legal Delaware casinos explain how each type works and where it accepts players.
GamblingNerd Take
Delaware showed that a regulator does not need a ban to clear out sweepstakes casinos, and letters can do the job faster than a bill. If you have coins sitting at RealPrize or LoneStar, treat September 21 as a hard deadline and pull your money now instead of waiting.