Maryland Not Joining The Ranks Of States Banning Sweeps This Year

Good legislative or regulatory news has been hard to find in 2025 and ’26 for supporters of sweepstakes gambling sites, but Maryland became an exception last week by allowing time to run out on an attempted sweeps ban this session.

Maryland Lottery and Gaming sponsored legislation this year in the Senate and House to ban sweepstakes casinos— or Social Plus sites, as backers prefer to call them — leading to a hearing in February where both sides of the issue were heard.

The House proceeded to pass both HB 295 and HB 1226 in March, but neither bill made it out of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee before Maryland’s legislative session concluded on April 13, meaning the sites can continue operating in the state until the issue is taken up again in 2027.

The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) reacted positively to this news, with the lack of action qualifying as a win — even if only a temporary one — in the current climate.

“We are pleased with this result in Maryland and want to thank the Maryland lawmakers who took the time to thoroughly consider this issue,” said SGLA Managing Director Sean Ostrow in a statement. “Over multiple hearings and dozens of meetings, SGLA addressed false allegations by casino interests by demonstrating that the Social Plus industry already offers strong consumer protections and contributes to Maryland’s economy, while pushing back against efforts to misrepresent long-standing lawful activity as gambling.”

The SGLA continues to advocate for regulation and taxation of sweeps sites rather than outright bans.

Added Ostrow: “We are eager to work with lawmakers and regulators in 2027 to codify SGLA’s best practices for the broader social games industry, which can generate significant tax revenue while keeping consumers safe online.”

The state of the states

After a flurry of state sweeps bans passed in 2025, Indiana and Maine both piled on this year.

In addition to considering a sweepstakes gaming ban, Maryland inched toward possibly legalizing non-sweepstakes online casino this session, until state Sen. Ron Watson withdrew his bill in March.

Maryland’s two bills to ban sweeps both sailed through votes in the House. HB 295, which would have banned dual-currency sites, passed 105-24 on March 20, and HB 1226, which would have made it illegal not just to operate the sites but to promote or supply services to them as well, passed in an even more lopsided 134-2 vote on March 23.

But that was as far as they got before time ran out.

Louisiana is still considering a pair of anti-sweeps bills, and that legislative session can run as late as June 1.