Legislative Round-Up: Anti-Sweeps Bills Advancing In Statehouses

Online sweepstakes casino proponents were riding a wave of momentum earlier this spring when bills to ban them both in Mississippi and Maryland failed to generate enough legislative support to get them over the finish line.

As lawmakers intensify their efforts with chamber crossover deadlines approaching, a second wave of legislation has made headway in statehouses that could see such unregulated gaming at the state level illegal. Here’s a look at where the action is as May begins.

New York

While downstate casino bids suck up most of the oxygen regarding gaming news in New York, lawmakers in Albany have moved anti-sweeps bills forward in both the Assembly and Senate. The Racing and Wagering Committee in the lower chamber unanimously passed A 6745 Wednesday by an 11-0 count without debate since the bill had been discussed last month.

Assemblyperson and Racing and Wagering Committee Chair Carrie Woerner’s bill defines what an illegal online sweeps operator is and gives the New York State Gaming Commission and the Attorney General’s Office enforcement authority to levy fines for violators. Those fines range from $10,000 to $100,000, and operators that commit violations could face a potential loss of a gaming license.

The Senate, whose Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee is chaired by Sen. Joseph Addabbo, followed suit Thursday by unanimously passing S 5935. The bill, sponsored by Addabbo, was amended to match the language in Woerner’s bill with relation to enforcement authority for the two state agencies.

The Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) released a statement Thursday blasting the Senate amendment, saying, “This amendment doesn’t fix anything. It’s a political patch meant to quiet critics without solving the underlying problem.

“By leaving the definition of a dual-currency system up to regulators, the amended bill simply punts the problem to the Gaming Commission. This ill-conceived pivot only deepens the risks to mobile game operators, marketing platforms, and loyalty systems by injecting even more ambiguity.”

The statement closed: “This was already bad legislation. Lawmakers have taken a mess and made it into a catastrophe.” 

Louisiana

SB 181, which passed unanimously through the Senate, 39-0, Tuesday and was received in the House on Thursday, is one of the more aggressive anti-sweepstakes proposals being considered.

The bill, authored by Sen. Adam Bass, whose constituency includes the popular casino destination Bossier City in the northwest part of Louisiana, would amend and reenact R.S. 1490 with a series of amendments that would completely ban online sweepstakes play for casino, lottery, and mobile sports wagering.

Bass’ proposed legislation is similar to New York with fines ranging from $10,000 and $100,000, but potential bans extend to existing operators in the state, making it “unlawful for any applicant, licensed, or permitted entity, gaming employee, officer or director of a licensed or permitted entity, any investor, or any other person or entity to operate, conduct, or promote games as described in this Section within the state.”

That status would also apply to “any applicant, licensed, or permitted entity, geolocation provider, gaming manufacturer, gaming supplier, platform provider, promoter, or media affiliate to provide support for the operation, conduct, or promotion of illegal gambling by computer, including illegal online sweepstakes games as described in this Section within the state.”

There are eight mobile sportsbooks currently operating in Louisiana. Operators have generated $160 million in total state tax revenue since launch in November 2021, including $17 million in the first three months of the year.

Connecticut

SB 1235 in Connecticut originally was referred to the General Law Committee when introduced back in February. It is now headed for second stops at the Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis — where it will be taken up as early as Monday afternoon.

There has been plenty of support for the measure, which would ban online sweepstakes casinos and lottery couriers among multiple changes to gaming laws in the state. It passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 37-0 vote Monday.

SB 1235 made a previous stop at the Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis in early April shortly after being passed unanimously by the General Law Committee.

Connecticut is one of seven states where internet casino gaming is available, and it has generated $25.1 million in state tax revenue through the first three months of 2025.

Montana

The last state debating banning online sweeps is also the closest to making it a reality. SB 555 had a relatively quick dash through Helena: It was introduced by Sen. Vince Ricci on March 27, came out of committee April 3 and passed on the Senate floor two days later.

The House took up the measure April 7, and it passed out of the Business and Labor Committee on April 15. It overwhelmingly passed in the lower chamber by an 88-11 vote on April 23 and now awaits Gov. Greg Gianforte’s signature.

The interesting part of Ricci’s bill is nowhere does it specifically state “online casino sweepstakes” in the text. The bill instead revises “the definition of internet gambling to include online casinos” and specifies that “online casinos that do not allow the use of currency of any kind are not considered a gambling activity and therefore are permitted.”

Sweepstakes operator VGW — which owns popular sites Chumba, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker — saw the writing on the wall regarding Ricci’s bill and exited the Montana market last month.