New Jersey Anti-Sweeps Bill Scheduled To Be Heard In Assembly

New Jersey Assemblyperson Clinton Calabrese’s bill that would ban online sweepstakes casinos in the Garden State is set to be heard in the full lower chamber Monday morning.

The Assembly Appropriations Committee advanced A5447 via an 11-0 vote on June 19, and the Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee did by a 6-0 count May 8. Calabrese’s bill was placed on second reading after the Appropriations Committee vote, which allows for floor debate before a vote is taken.

New Jersey could become the fifth statehouse this year to pass legislation banning online casino sweepstakes games and the second state to do so where regulated online casino gaming exists. New York legislators were the most recent to act June 18, and state Sen. Joseph Addabbo’s bill has yet to be delivered to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Nevada, Montana, and Connecticut have already signed bills into law banning online sweepstakes gaming. Louisiana legislators passed an anti-sweeps bill in unanimous fashion, but Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed the measure, citing confidence in the state’s gaming board to combat illegal online gaming.

Sweeps casinos ready to push back

Calabrese, who originally submitted a bill earlier this legislative session proposing to regulate sweepstakes casinos similar to online ones before withdrawing it, has the backing of the state’s Attorney General’s Office.

The possibility of sweeps operators losing two large-market states — especially New Jersey as a mature online market — has put the groups in a fighting mood.

The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA), joined by the world’s largest sweepstakes operator VGW as well as B-Two Operations and the World Poker Tour, submitted testimony Friday in opposition to Calabrese’s bill and its companion legislature in the Senate (S2482).

“These proposals seek to eliminate a popular form of digital entertainment enjoyed by millions of Americans and based on a model used legally for decades by trusted consumer brands,” said Jeff Duncan, SGLA executive director and former U.S. congressman, in a statement. “This is not gambling — it’s marketing. Our partners operate free-to-play games with strong consumer protections and legally compliant promotional sweepstakes structures.”

The Senate bill is also on second reading after being voted out of the upper chamber’s Budget and Appropriations Committee by a 9-4 vote Thursday. It had previously advanced from the State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee by a 5-0 vote May 29.

Duncan called upon legislators to find a regulatory solution, claiming the two bills are “built on flawed definitions and would have broad, unintended consequences — impacting everything from digital games to local retail promotions.”

“The current proposal would not only disrupt our industry, but would undermine standard promotional tools used by countless New Jersey businesses,” he added. “Even the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services has warned about the bill’s vague language and potential constitutional issues.”