HB 1885, Tennessee’s sweepstakes casino banning bill, has hit a temporary pause, but progress could pick up again next week.
The proposal, which targets the dual-currency sweepstakes gaming format, has already progressed through multiple stages of the Tennessee General Assembly’s lower chamber since being filed by Republican Representative Scott Cepicky (pictured) in January.
As for its contents, HB 1885, and companion bill SB 2136, are aiming to restrict operators using ‘virtual-currency systems’ where users can:
”Play or participate with a currency, such as a virtual coin, token, or other representation of value, that is directly purchased, received through a bonus or promotion, or received for free with the purchase of another type of currency or related product, service, or activity;”
Rather than setting its own fines – as many similar anti-sweeps bills have done – HB 1885 labels violations as consumer fraud under Tennessee law. That means punishments are not fixed in the bill but determined by courts under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act. This could include injunctions, repayment of losses, and additional damages depending on the violation.
SB 2136 did already pass the Senate and move over to the House a month ago, but it’s still not yet been assigned for committee consideration. The focus instead seems to be on HB 1885; its latest development came this week in a House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee, where discussion of the bill was postponed at the request of Rep. Cepicky.
This can happen when a sponsor wants time to refine language or manage scheduling before bringing a measure back for another push.
Official bill tracking shows both a placement on the Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee calendar for April 14 and a deferral to April 15 – so ongoing scheduling in this committee.
To sum up, the bill still has hurdles in its way before it could reach a full floor vote in the House. So for now, HB 1885 remains in committee limbo, and we’ll check in next week to monitor any further progress that could influence Tennessee sweepstakes casinos.
Author: Jon Ridehalgh
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