Florida’s 2026 legislative session is about to end, and what once looked like a promising push to amend the gambling law in the state is now down to a single bill – and it’s not even clear whether this one would outlaw sweepstakes casinos.
Three bills were introduced this year:
- HB 591 would have dramatically reworked Florida’s gambling enforcement framework across online and land-based operations.
- HB 189 and SB 1580 focused more narrowly on criminalizing unauthorized online gambling and internet sports wagering outside the Seminole tribal compact.
However, none of the three explicitly looked to ban sweepstakes or dual currency casinos in the way we’ve often seen in other states. And with the session set to end on March 13, HB 591 and HB 189 have basically stalled, leaving SB 1580 as the last contender.
SB 1580 Represents Last Chance for FL Gambling Law Changes in 2026
After being introduced in January, the proposal worked its way through committees and eventually passed the Senate last Friday. In the House, things moved more quickly, but an amendment was made by Representative Dana Trabulsy, meaning the bill now needs another approval from the Senate. Technically, the process could be completed in a day, though these things are never guaranteed.
Even if it passes, the implications for sweepstakes casinos would still be unclear.
SB 1580 redefines “internet gambling” to include any game where money or a thing of value is awarded based on chance and accessible online or via mobile devices. Sweeps operators using Gold Coins (GC) and Sweepstakes Coins (SC) might need to re-evaluate practices depending on how regulators interpret the language, but the bill would largely just bring Florida in line with most other states.
In practice, this would likely still allow sweeps casinos to operate within a gray area – no court has yet issued a definitive ruling on the legality of the sweepstakes system where no specific law prohibits it.
For now, most sweeps operators doing business in FL will likely be breathing a sigh of relief, but the last day of the session (today) will give closure on SB 1580.
Author: Joseph Allen
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