Spin Cycle: Sweepstakes Struggles From Florida To Maine Highlight Week In Gambling

Welcome to “Spin Cycle,” Casino Reports’ weekly Friday roundup of all things impactful, intriguing, impressive, or idiotic in the gambling industry. Pull up a chair, grab a stack of chips and a glass of your beverage of choice, and take a spin with us through this week’s news cycle …

SGLA takes issue with new Florida gambling bill

Sweepstakes gaming — or “Social Plus,” as the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) prefers to call it — has had a rough 2025 with regard to cease-and-desist orders and lawsuits in assorted states. And the rough year got slightly rougher on Tuesday with the introduction of HB 591 in Florida, a bill that is not exclusively aimed at sweeps, but does appear to catch the much-debated form of gambling in its net.

In essence, Rep. Berny Jacques’ bill seeks to ban from the state all online gambling that isn’t run by the Seminole Tribe, bearing similarities to a bill that advanced through a House subcommittee last month, HB 189. If passed, HB 591 would go into effect Oct. 1, 2026.

The language doesn’t refer specifically to sweepstakes casinos, but sweeps would seem to fit the bill’s definitions of illegal gaming. That prompted SGLA Executive Director Jeff Duncan to issue a statement Wednesday:

“We strongly disagree with the categorization that Social Plus games that utilize sweepstakes promotions have anything in common with illegal offshore gambling operations. HB 591 laudably seeks to stop illegal gambling from taking place in the state of Florida but fails to account for how lawful promotional sweepstakes operate in Florida. … We look forward to continuing our constructive relationship with Florida’s legislators and remain committed to ensuring consumers have access to legal and compliant entertainment in the Sunshine State.”

Maine squeeze

In other not-so-great news for sweeps, Maine state Sen. Craig Hickman prefiled Legislative Document 2007 on Wednesday, titled “An Act Regarding the Prohibition of Online Sweepstakes Games.”

Hickman’s bill singles out the “dual-currency system of payment” used for sweepstakes prizing and sets fines for operation of online sweepstakes games that the bill considers “unlawful gambling” between $10,000 and $100,000.

Maine’s legislature passed a bill in June to legalize and regulate online casino, giving exclusive operating rights to the state’s four gaming tribes, but Gov. Janet Mills neither signed nor vetoed it, instead punting the decision to January 2026.

Speaking of not taking action until next year …

Alberta won’t launch online until at least 2026

Canadian Gaming Business reported last Friday that the prospect of Canadian province Alberta opening for digital sports betting and iGaming before the end of the year is unlikely. Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction of Alberta Dale Nally told the publication that he will provide more details in early 2026. 

Nally is facing a recall petition for allegedly “breach[ing] election laws by inappropriately using the confidential electoral list.” The recall could further lengthen what has already been a long road to launch. Many stakeholders do still believe, though, that Alberta will be the second Canadian province to launch digital sports betting and iGaming, behind Ontario, which launched operators in April 2022. 

Alberta officials will follow the Ontario model for legal online gambling, including creating a separate regulatory agency. The province reportedly plans to have an open, competitive market, but so far no tax rate has been set and rules have not been promulgated. The province’s lottery offers some online gambling though its Play Alberta platform.

— Jill R. Dorson

New Jersey senator: New York is eating our lunch

With the news Monday that three potential downstate New York casinos are just a final commission approval away from full clearance came a statement of either opportunism or envy (or both) from New Jersey state Sen. Joe Pennacchio.

“New York is charging ahead with three new casinos while New Jersey sits on its hands and watches our gaming revenue drift across the river. It’s unacceptable,” said Pennacchio, who has long advocated for the Garden State’s horse racing tracks to be able to house slot machines.

Pennacchio continued: “A Meadowlands racino would be an immediate economic engine for our state, yet leaders refuse to act. I’m renewing my call for racinos because New Jersey can’t afford to keep falling behind while our neighbors eat our lunch.”

House Rules: Insights from around our network

ROCK ON: Hard Rock Bet launches in Michigan, its second legal online casino state [by Brant James]

CLOSER LOOK: Breaking down the New York GFLB’s casino selection document [by Chris Altruda]

FAIR PLAY: Titus calls on House Ways and Means Committee to move FAIR BET Act [by Jeff Edelstein]

WHAT’S THESCORE?: A new dawn for Penn: ESPN Bet is replaced with theScore Bet [by Jeff Edelstein]

BEARD BUSINESS: James Harden joins MyPrize sweepstakes casino site as content creator [by Brant James]

TIX AREN’T FOR KIDS: NCPG, state lotteries working to discourage gifting tickets to children [by Eric Raskin]

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Cost of geofencing isn’t in the fence — and not really that expensive [by Jill Dorson]

PLAYERS CLUB: What’s behind record iCasino numbers? The answers may surprise [by Jeff Edelstein]

BETTOR IDEA: A professor’s take: Let college athletes bet legally on pro sports [by AJ Moore]

AFTER THE DOG DAYS: Derby Lane owner: Development of valuable real estate likely will include gambling [by Brant James]

Small stakes and hot takes

This week on the Casino Reports podcast Low Rollers, I welcome Fanatics Vice President of Government Affairs Brandt Iden, who pushed online sports betting and casino regulation across the finish line in Michigan as a state representative, to talk about the overall outlook for iGaming expansion. Here’s a sampling:

I also run through all the latest news, including the nearly complete New York casino licensing process, two major U.S. prediction market launches, and a record iCasino jackpot at DraftKings. Plus, I look ahead to a tantalizing weekend of football, both on the field and in fantasy leagues. Full episode:

The Shuffle: Other news and views

NOT TAKING CREDIT: Australia’s heaviest bettors undeterred by key gambling reform, research shows [The Guardian]

NIX NIXED?: Illegal bookmaker nominated to Nevada’s Black Book for exclusion from casinos [CDC Gaming]

HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR: Kentucky regulator changes tone and approves table game themes for HHR [SBC Americas]

HEAVY TRAFFIC AHEAD: Petersburg hosts business roundtable ahead of casino customer influx [ABC 8 News]

FOLLOW THE MONEY LAUNDERING: Lawsuit involving Resorts World is an attention-grabber [CDC Gaming]

THE PRICE IS WRONG: The internet questioned whether Vegas is a value — tourism leaders say they’re listening [The Nevada Independent]

GOLDHOFF STANDARD: Inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City’s rise: A conversation with CEO George Goldhoff [New Jersey Digest]

THE NAYS HAVE IT: Rockford casino workers vote against joining union [WIFR.com]

The Bonus Round

Completing the Spin Cycle with some odds and ends and our favorite social media posts of the week.

• Big entertainment industry news: Variety reported Wednesday that Martin Scorsese is set to team as an executive producer with writers/showrunners Brian Koppelman and David Levien (best known in the gaming biz for writing Rounders) on an untitled Vegas casino drama series for Netflix. The official description of the show calls it “an hour-long drama set in the high-stakes, sharp-elbowed present-day Las Vegas casino business, which is a modernized but still dangerous version of the legendary city.” Koppelman and Levien have history with Scorsese, as the writing duo was originally slated to helm HBO’s Vinyl, for which Scorsese directed the pilot. Koppelman and Levien were ultimately replaced — which worked out well for them, as Vinyl was a one-season-and-done show and they went on to seven seasons of Billions for Showtime instead.

• Accel Entertainment announced Tuesday the acquisition of Dynasty Games, which will add up to 22 non-casino Nevada locations for electronic gaming terminals to an operation that includes more than 4,500 gaming venues nationwide. “Dynasty Games has built a trusted reputation rooted in integrity and long-term relationships, and we’re excited to build on that legacy while expanding Accel’s best-in-class route operations across Northern Nevada,” said Accel CEO Andy Rubenstein in a release.

• Wrapping things up with a massive slot hit to make us all jealous: KSNV News 3 Las Vegas reported that on Thanksgiving Day, a tourist at Fontainebleau Las Vegas scored a $1,152,000 payout on a Dragon Link slot machine. The winner chose to remain anonymous, but we can safely assume they’re a high roller, as they were playing the slot machine for $25 a spin.