Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is taking his fight against sweepstakes casinos to the companies advertising them, sending letters to Google, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), Reddit, Snap (Snapchat), and TikTok and demanding that they stop promoting what he describes as illegal gambling operations in Florida.
Example of a LuckyLand Slots Facebook ad, via Northeastern University.
The letters, dated September 25, give the five companies until October 23, 2026 to confirm what steps they’ve taken to prevent advertisements for sweepstakes casinos from reaching FL residents.
Uthmeier specifically named Stake.us (Sweepsteaks Ltd) and Chumba Casino, LuckyLand, and Global Poker (VGW) and their payment providers in lawsuits filed by his office in August, but these latest letters are now an interesting escalation.
Google, Meta, Reddit, Snap and TikTok Given Until October 23
I sent letters to Google, Meta, Reddit, Snap, and TikTok after learning they may be advertising illegal “sweepstakes” casinos.
Promoting illegal gambling is a crime. Big Tech has until October 23 to confirm it has stopped advertising sites like Stake, Chumba, LuckyLand, and… pic.twitter.com/KtQY2TCpR5
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) September 25, 2026
Uthmeier’s latest letters repeat the claim that sweeps brands like Stake.us and Chumba aren’t authorized to operate gambling websites or online casinos in Florida, and that “the promotion and advertisement of such illegal gambling in Florida is similarly unlawful.”
But there’s a little more going on here than the simple claim that Florida has made gambling advertising illegal.
The particularly relevant advertising provision in Florida Statutes, §849.09(1), states that it’s unlawful for any person in the state to:
“(c) Conduct any lottery drawing for the distribution of a prize or prizes by lot or chance, or advertise any such lottery scheme or device in any newspaper or by circulars, posters, pamphlets, radio, telegraph, telephone, or otherwise;
(d) Aid or assist in the setting up, promoting, or conducting of any lottery or lottery drawing, whether by writing, printing, or in any other manner whatsoever, or be interested in or connected in any way with any lottery or lottery drawing;”
That means Uthmeier’s argument isn’t simply that gambling is illegal, therefore advertising gambling is illegal – his position depends in part on the underlying sweepstakes operations being classifiable as prohibited ‘lotteries’.
Is Uthmeier’s Argument Watertight?
In truth, Florida’s traditional legal test for a lottery involves the same three elements that are usually used to classify something as gambling: a prize, chance, and consideration.
And, of course, sweepstakes casinos generally structure their businesses around the argument that players don’t have to provide consideration for the opportunity to win, because they offer free methods of obtaining the promotional Sweeps Coins currency – even though it can eventually be redeemed for cash.
So once again, we’re back to the same question surrounding sweepstakes casinos: does the existence of a free method of entry actually mean there is no consideration, or would the model still satisfy Florida’s legal test for a lottery?
And in layman’s terms, what power do these latest letters actually have? Well, they’re not court orders, and Uthmeier isn’t directly ordering Google, Meta, Reddit, Snapchat, or TikTok to take specific action under a judge’s authority.
Instead, he’s putting the companies on formal notice of his interpretation of Florida law and demanding that they stop carrying advertisements for the named sweepstakes casinos. He has also given them until October 23 to explain what they’ve done about it.
The potential consequence for the platforms is that the Attorney General could take further legal action if he believes they are continuing to facilitate or promote illegal gambling. In other words, the letters are a warning and a demand for compliance, rather than an immediate legal action that can simply force the ads offline.
It’ll be interesting to see the companies’ responses.
Author: Jon Ridehalgh
Updated:
