A report last week by the Better Business Bureau indicates the consumer watchdog group is becoming more vocal in the public debate about online sweepstakes casino sites. The BBB’s report criticized one particular sweepstakes site, Crown Coins, for several of its player policies.
It is part of a growing response by non-government organizations and regulatory authorities to criticize the industry. Consumer Reports, Truth In Advertising (TINA), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) have all made statements on the same subject in the past 18 months.
On July 8, 2026, Josh Planos, the BBB’s national spokesman, said during a national broadcast on InvestigativeTV that unlicensed online sweepstakes and sportsbook sites could be scams.
Planos pointed out that companies build their sites dynamically while taking on customers, which could leave players in the “crossfire” of unaddressed bugs and missed payouts.
One of the first to call for policy changes was the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the main federal agency associated with consumer protection.
On January 10, 2025, the CFPB publicly backed a federal bill called the Electronic Fund Transfer Act. If the act is passed, the federal government would treat virtual and digital currencies similar to brick-and-mortar bank accounts.
If so, then sweepstakes casinos and other gaming operators would be held legally liable under federal consumer financial law.
Also in early 2025, Truth in Advertising criticized online gambling sites for masking themselves as “social casinos” to avoid state gambling regulations. The criticism came in its Year in Review publication.
On July 31, 2025, they released joint data in partnership with the American Gaming Association stating that 90% of the American public believes sweepstakes casinos are gambling.
On April 2, 2026, Consumer Reports announced support for the Safeguarding Consumers from Advertising Misconduct (SCAM) Act. The bipartisan legislation focuses on algorithmic “dark patterns” in online sweepstakes marketing and other niches.
On May 14, 2026, Consumer Reports policy counsel submitted written testimony to the New Jersey General Assembly’s Commerce and Economic Development Committee exposing what it called “surveillance pricing.”
The written testimony, in support of A4084 in the New Jersey Assembly, discussed how companies use individual player data to manipulate their consumer behavior.
Last week, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) gave Crown Coins sweepstakes casino a strict F rating. In its report, the BBB stated it had received 354 consumer complaints about the business.
The consumer watchdog group contacted Crown Coins about 42 formal complaints, but the company failed to respond to any of the complaints.
The BBB investigated further and said Crown Coins’ brief time in business concerned its investigators. Also, its published physical address in the Commonwealth of Virginia does not appear to exist.
The platform is unregistered with the Virginia State Corporation Commission. Meanwhile, the BBB believes the company operates out of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Israel metropolitan area.
In its report, the Better Business Bureau warned consumers about several red flags they should consider. Several involved the halting of payments due to dubious claims.
One suspicious excuse was the opening of “duplicate accounts” from the same address, which is commonly given as a reason to permanently block accounts.
Another is the claim that an account has a “lack of verification.” The report also mentioned instances where the business claimed an “inability to process payments” through the site’s payment processor service.
