Modo

Is Modo safe?

Modo is an unlicensed cash-prize casino that has kept growing while regulators tell it to stop. Arizona, Tennessee and Illinois have issued orders, and Modo still takes sweepstakes play from Illinois. Its privacy policy shares your data for targeted ads, and a 2026 lawsuit describes a VIP host who kept a player in psychosis gambling. On the plus side, it offers self-service limits and honours browser opt-out signals. We score Modo 42/100, between Chumba Casino at 40 and Stake.us at 44.

The iPhone app came out in May 2025 and has about 60,000 US ratings. It calls itself "America's Super Gaming App" and sponsors cars in NASCAR and Formula 1.

How Modo works

You buy Gold Coins, which are for play only, and receive Sweepstakes Coins as a bonus with marked packs or through free entry. Sweepstakes Coins that have been played through can be redeemed for cash from 50 coins or for gift cards from 20, after identity checks. Redemptions over $600 need your Social Security number for tax reporting.

Two newer features add risk. Modo Boxes are paid card packs, opened online, for a chance at collectible trading cards, including graded and one-of-one cards. And a stored-value wallet now holds money for coin packs and box openings, with a one-time play-through rule before you can withdraw what you deposited. Live dealer tables and "Play Along Live" games with streamers and show hosts round out a product that looks very much like an online casino. The terms say it does not offer "real money gambling".

Which states have acted against Modo?

In April 2025 Arizona's Department of Gaming ordered ARB Gaming, which runs Modo from a Scottsdale address, to stop at once, alleging illegal gambling and promotion of gambling, according to SBC Americas. Tennessee's Attorney General named Modo in December 2025 among about 40 sweepstakes casinos that agreed to stop serving the state.

On 4 February 2026 the Illinois Gaming Board wrote that it had seen Modo offer Illinois users slots and table games with cash and gift-card prizes on 15 January, and demanded that it block residents or stop the prizes. Casino.org reported in July 2026 that Modo had not complied and said it was ready to defend its legality in court. The same report said ARB Interactive gave $50,000 to the Illinois Senate President in January 2026; he later said he would give it to charity. The sweepstakes rules of 1 October 2026 exclude 17 states, including Arizona and Tennessee, but not Illinois.

Under our rules, three state orders and no fine put the regulatory record at 43, a little above McLuck and Pulsz, which each have four orders and a pending city suit.

The VIP lawsuit

In April 2026 a California player, Matthew Joyce, sued ARB in federal court. His complaint, as reported by Casino.org, says he has bipolar disorder with psychotic features and a gambling disorder, told staff he believed he was "destined to absorb platform losses", and was nonetheless kept at the top VIP tier with gifts and offers. It says he took out 46 high-interest loans, 18 of them through Affirm, played about 5,631 hours and lost about $240,000, and that his VIP host refused his request to be moved down a tier. These are allegations, and Modo has not commented. As a private suit it does not lower the regulatory score, but it bears on the scams and harmful content score.

What data does Modo collect?

Apple's label is fuller than most in this group: identifiers may be used to track you, and financial info, location, contact details, user content, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics are linked to you. The privacy policy, last updated in January 2026, adds photos of your ID card or passport, payment card and bank account numbers, your messages with other users and data from public records and social media.

The policy says Modo does not sell data for money but does share it for cross-context targeted ads. You can opt out on its Do Not Sell or Share page, by email, or by turning on Global Privacy Control in your browser. It also gives retention periods: business records generally seven years, player records 120 days and online activity data 90 days.

Security and harm tools

We found no reported breach and no bug bounty, and the terms, privacy policy and responsible play page never mention two-step log-in. The responsible play page offers password tips instead. With money now held in a wallet, that is a gap.

The harm tools are partly self-service. Purchase limits and fixed-term self-exclusion sit in your profile. An indefinite exclusion, a block on opening a new account, or deleting your account needs an email to [email protected]. The company says it can also exclude players itself.

How to use Modo more safely

1. If you live in Illinois, know that the state's gaming regulator has called Modo an illegal casino.
2. Set a purchase limit in your profile before the first purchase, and check whether it covers Modo Box openings as well as coins.
3. Turn on Global Privacy Control, or use the Do Not Sell or Share page, to stop ad sharing.
4. Use a long, unique password, since we found no second log-in step.
5. Be wary of VIP-host offers of bonuses and gifts; a pause or self-exclusion in your profile is the faster way out.

How we scored it

Scams and harmful content (34) is the weakest factor: cash-prize casino play, paid card packs, an 18+ store rating against a 21 age limit, and the allegations in the VIP lawsuit. Privacy (40) reflects ID and bank data shared for targeted ads. Regulatory record (43) reflects three state orders, one of them ignored. Transparency and control (50) is the strongest, helped by self-service limits, stated retention periods and opt-out signals.