Three more anti-sweeps bills have almost crossed the finish line in Connecticut, Nevada, and Louisiana. Assuming none are vetoed by their respective Governors, this will bump up the total number of states to outlaw sweepstakes casinos this year to four – Montana has been the only other state so far to pass such a proposal in 2025.
Senate Bill 256 in Nevada has been enrolled and delivered to Governor Joe Lombardo. It was introduced in February, passing through the Senate and House with strong support.
Many sweepstakes casinos already avoid the Silver State due to its laws prohibiting any non-regulated gambling activities. However, SB256 now strengthens the penalties for illegal gaming operations. While ‘sweepstakes’ does not appear in the wording, the format was mentioned in early debates on the bill in the legislature.
In Nevada, if a bill doesn’t specify an effective date (SB256 doesn’t), it typically becomes effective on October 1 following its passage.
Senate Bill 1235 in Connecticut will soon be handed off to State Governor Ned Lamont for his signature. This proposal was introduced in February and passed through the Senate before being speedily processed by the House as lawmakers moved to clear key bills ahead of the deadline. It comes at a time when the Connecticut gaming regulator just pursued High 5 Games for a $1.5m settlement in relation to its sweepstakes casino being available in the state.
SB1235 is a broad piece of legislation including wording that bans lottery ticket couriers, allows Connecticut to enter into gaming compacts with other states, clarifies rules around gambling advertisements, and outlaws any unlicensed company that “facilitates participation in any real or simulated online casino gaming or sports wagering”. That last piece of text is thought to apply to sweepstakes casinos, and the act is designated as a class A misdemeanor, meaning up to 1 year in prison for violators.
It’s expected that the new laws related to sweepstakes casinos will come into effect on October 1, the same day as the Montana bill comes into effect.
Senate Bill 181 in Louisiana has passed both chambers too, and will soon be presented to Governor Jeff Landry. It was initially filed in April and is particularly robust when it comes to enforcement. This is because it gives Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) and the State Police civil enforcement powers, something usually reserved for the Attorney General. The fines for illegal gambling are up to $100,000 per occurrence or up to five years in prison. The bill also contains new amendments around the approval of applications for licensed gaming providers.
The bill text specifies that SB181 will come into effect on August 1, meaning it will beat even Montana to that prize.
Assessing the Wider Landscape
On top of these four new bills in 2025, we already have Washington, Idaho, and Michigan as jurisdictions where we know sweepstakes are not welcome for one reason or another.
Fortunately, the sweeps format is still legal in the remaining US states, and we should point out that most (but not all) state legislative sessions are drawing to a close for 2025, meaning that new proposals won’t be submitted until next year in most places.
It’s been a trying year for the sweepstakes industry, with 12 states debating what we’d consider anti-sweeps bills. We’ve seen the vertical and its dual-currency system placed under the microscope like never before, and can’t help feeling that some of the conjecture has been a little misguided.
For example, in the debate on recent anti-sweeps bills in Ohio, Rick Limardo, Senior VP of Government Affairs for MGM Northfield Park made this statement:
“This illicit sweepstakes industry is not subject to any state gross gaming tax; does not offer any meaningful responsible gambling tools; and does not employ sophisticated KYC, identity or age-verification processes – to the contrary, most of these platforms allow prospective customers to simply check a box and self-certify that they are of gambling age.”
While it’s true sweepstakes casinos do not pay state gaming taxes (because they are not accepted as regulated casinos), legitimate sweepstakes casinos do offer responsible gambling tools and use KYC checks.
Jessica Welman of SBC Media made a great point when she said:
“Interesting to note that two of the three states [sic] that have managed to take legal action against sweeps have done so by grouping them into a bill that also tackles very overtly black market operators.
Listening to the debate, there is no differentiation between the two by lawmakers, which might help explain these unanimous votes as they are basically being presented on the floor as ‘You hate illegal gambling and terrorists, right?’”
Statuses of All 12 Bills Concerning Sweepstakes Casinos
To sum up, here are the current statuses of the most advanced anti-sweeps bills in the 12 states that attempted to pass at least one this year. Please remember that these bills aren’t necessarily targeting sweepstakes casinos exclusively; in many cases they’re broader proposals addressing various gambling-related issues:
- Montana: Signed into law
- Nevada: Delivered to Governor
- Connecticut: Passed both chambers, awaiting final action
- Louisiana: Passed both chambers with amendments concurred
- New Jersey: Being debated
- Ohio: Being debated
- New York: Being debated but legislative session ends June 12
- Illinois: Failed
- Arkansas: Failed
- Maryland: Failed
- Mississippi: Failed
- Florida: Failed
Author: Joseph Allen
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