# State availability: operator rules are not a legal opinion

Separate state law, operator exclusions, effective dates and your own eligibility.

By Casimo Research. Explanatory guide; not a first-person casino test.

## Different products, different rules

An entertainment-only social game, a sweepstakes promotion and a state-licensed real-money casino are different products. A license or rule for one does not establish eligibility for another.

## Read the date and status

A proposed bill, enacted law, effective restriction, court order and operator withdrawal notice are different events. Check the official document and the relevant effective date.

## What the Casimo state checker reports

The checker shows whether a state appears in a captured operator exclusion list, or whether the evidence is unknown or stale. “Not listed” is not a declaration that playing is lawful or available.

## Sources
- [California Legislature · AB 831](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB831)
- [Michigan Gaming Control Board](https://www.michigan.gov/mgcb)

Canonical: https://casimo.org/learn/sweepstakes-state-availability