Real Prize shuts early in New York amid sweepstakes casino crackdown, leaving customers in the lurch

As New York moves forward with a bill to ban sweepstakes casinos, Real Prize customers in the state were caught off guard when the site shut down a day earlier than expected.

RealPlay Tech, which runs the sweepstakes casino site, originally told customers they had until March 28 to cash out their Sweepstake Coin balances after announcing plans to leave the Big Apple.

However, according to users and screenshots posted on Reddit, the site actually shut down a day early on March 27, leaving customers stuck and unable to redeem their funds.

One customer shared an email they received from Real Prize support, which said: “We sincerely apologize for the confusion and any inconvenience this may have caused. You are correct, our communication stated service would be discontinued on March 28th, 2025. However, due to the finalization of our system changes, we have had to implement the access restrictions slightly earlier than initially stated.

“We understand your frustration in not being able to redeem your remaining SC. Please be aware that minimum redemption limits apply. Unfortunately, the action to discontinue service in New York is final.”

Real Prize is stealing from NY players. Proof in photos
byu/Mr_Funsies inChumbaCasino

In response, Reddit users have complained, with some stating: “This company should be held accountable for the slimey actions they’re doing, it’s straight up stealing against NY players.”

Another added: “What’s crazy is the bill hasn’t passed yet. So these sites have pulled out early. Which is sketchy in itself.”

“Sweepstakes critic and gaming lawyer Daniel Wallach told https://t.co/P2v2PCrtuL: ‘False or misleading statements about when a company is exiting New York could lull players into a false sense of security regarding the redeemability of account balances.”

— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) April 2, 2025

Sports betting and gaming lawyer, Daniel Wallach, told Next.io: “‘False or misleading statements about when a company is exiting New York could lull players into a false sense of security regarding the redeemability of account balances.

“It could certainly be considered a false and deceptive trade practice under state law, and provide a point of entry for a possible private civil lawsuit or New York Attorney General civil enforcement action.”

Several big-name sweepstakes casinos like High 5 Casino, McLuck, and NoLimit Coins have exited New York, even though the proposed ban hasn’t officially become law yet.

These sites gained popularity in states where traditional online gambling isn’t allowed, offering casino-style games tied to sweepstakes for the chance to win cash. They operate legally in most states under federal sweepstakes laws, unless a state specifically bans them.

But some lawmakers, like Senator Joseph Addabbo in New York, view them as skirting gambling laws and want to shut them down. His bill to ban sweepstakes casinos is still making its way through the legislature and recently cleared a key hurdle. It has now been approved by the New York State Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee.

In other states, regulators have already stepped in with cease-and-desist orders.

ReadWrite has reached out to RealPlay Tech for comment.

Featured image: Canva / RealPlay Tech / Real Prize

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