Minnesota Lawmakers Latest To File Anti-Sweepstakes Bill
Legislation could prove problematic for secondary parties interested in obtaining sports wagering-related licenses
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A bipartisan group of five Minnesota state senators is co-sponsoring legislation to ban online sweepstakes casinos.
SF 4474, which was filed Monday in the Minnesota Senate, establishes definitions to determine sweeps operators, notably the “dual-currency” system, as means of a payment to an operator. The bill also specifies that the “dual-currency system does not include a contest for which no consideration is given, either directly or indirectly.”
The bill also identifies a wide range of parties that would be prohibited from “supporting the operation of, conducting, or promoting an online sweepstakes game in Minnesota.” That list includes “an applicant, licensed entity, financial institution, payment processor, geolocation provider, gaming-content supplier, platform provider, or media affiliate.”
That could cause some angst among operators who would be considered for licenses as part of proposed legislation to legalize sports betting in Minnesota this session.
The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. John Marty, Erin K. Maye Quade, and Matt Klein of the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party and Republicans Jordan Rasmussen and Warren Limmer.
AG has broad scope of enforcement options
SF 4474 mandates the commissioner of public safety and the state attorney general to both deny sweeps operations and enforce penalties via Minnesota Statute 325F.755, Subdivision 7.
Violators can face fines of up to $25,000, but that amount could add up quickly if each notice or game entry is considered a separate violation. State courts can also order restitution for Minnesota consumers, and violators could be subject to paying the state’s legal and investigation fees.
The statute also gives private citizens the right to sue, which allows them to conceivably recover damages, legal expenses, and attorney fees from violators if “injured” by a violation.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed legislation banning sweepstakes casinos into law last Thursday. That furthered momentum anti-sweeps legislators created nationwide in 2025 when six states passed bills banning sweeps. Large-market states New York, New Jersey, and California were among them.
There is now a bill in the New Jersey General Assembly, however, that could lead to replacing that ban by amending legislation and regulating the sweeps industry.
