As new legislative sessions around the country begin for the year, let’s take a look at the states looking to make life difficult for sweepstakes operators in 2026.
2025 was the year when states started to seriously consider legislative efforts to curb the sweepstakes casino format, and some ended up eventually passing their bills into law.
We also saw plenty of enforcement in the form of cease-and-desist letters and subpoenas, plus legal opinions and statements designed to make operators feel unwelcome. Bigger names like Stake.us and VGW even had court cases brought against them.
In 2026, it seems much of the same pattern is holding: states are increasingly targeting sweepstakes casinos via legislative changes to criminalize operations, or via other tools available to Attorney Generals, gaming regulators etc.
Florida: HB 591 & HB 189
The Florida legislature has two bills in motion that could affect sweepstakes casinos.
First, there’s HB 591 which would dramatically overhaul Florida’s gambling enforcement framework across both online and land-based gambling. This currently sits with the Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee, meaning it’s in the early stages of debate.
There’s also HB 189, a more targeted proposal focused on explicitly criminalizing unauthorized online gambling and internet sports wagering outside of the Seminole tribal compact. This bill is a little further along, currently sitting with the Criminal Justice Subcommittee.
We’ve also heard Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier mention that his office has issued subpoenas to several fantasy sports and sweepstakes-style platforms in the Sunshine State.
On the other hand, Uthmeier seems keen to sit down with said operators and open a dialogue to “exchange information” and allow them to “present their cases”. This is a relatively diplomatic approach compared to the plain anti-sweeps rhetoric we’ve often seen.
Indiana: HB 1052
In Indiana, HB 1052 could create civil and criminal penalties for conducting a “sweepstakes game”, and it’s currently making its way through the House. However, in its most recent discussion within the House Public Policy Committee, the fundamental question of whether sweepstakes casinos are currently legal in the state was asked.
Indiana Gaming Commission’s General Counsel Natalie Huffman said she doesn’t think so:
“Other states think their gambling laws are written in a way that is able to be used against these online casinos. But I don’t think that the way that our gambling laws are written, we can move forward with sending a cease-and-desist letter in good faith, based on current law.”
Representative Jim Lucas even suggested that Indiana could regulate sweepstakes casinos:
“I don’t think it’s right that an industry found a way to work within the boundaries of the law, and just because we don’t have our ducks in a row to legislate these industries and regulate them, we should punish them by outright banning them,” Lucas said. “It’s incumbent upon us to find a way to make this work, because I don’t think we should be in the business of picking winners and losers.”
Massachusetts: HB 4431
Massachusetts has HB 4431, a bill that would completely reshape online gaming in the Bay State by legalizing iGaming within a regulated framework at the same time as banning sweepstakes gaming.
That’s currently sitting in the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, with a reporting deadline of March 16, so at this stage, little progress has been made. By the way, those deadlines are simply used to keep the legislative pipeline moving and prevent bills from sitting indefinitely in committee.
Maine: LD 2007
Maine has LD 2007, which is a straightforward, one-issue bill regarding the prohibition of online sweepstakes games. It is currently sitting in the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs, where it was referred after introduction, and has not yet had its first committee hearing.
Iowa: Looking to Empower State Regulators
In Iowa, a bill has been pre-filed that would give the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission the power to enforce against unregulated gambling sites. Iowa’s current gambling laws focus on licensing legal operators, leaving the state’s gaming regulator without clear authority to issue cease-and-desist orders against illegal or offshore platforms – powers that many other states have.
So this bill, which is currently without a number, is less of a direct threat, but it’s something that could open up the path to enforcement against sweepstakes casinos.
This intent appears to be reflected in comments from Tina Eick, the gaming commission’s administrator who named cryptocurrency sweepstakes casinos as one of the formats she sees as “bad actors”. Whether this label would broaden to non-crypto casinos remains to be seen, but legally there’s little distinction between crypto and fiat sweeps casinos.
Summary
So while there are also pressures building in other states, the above are the main five jurisdictions with concrete anti-sweeps bills in their respective legislatures so far.
Operators will be taking care to monitor both legislative developments and regulatory movements closely, as new laws and enforcement actions could reshape the viability of and the landscape for existing and new sweepstakes casinos in 2026.
Author: Alex Windsor
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