The Mississippi Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would explicitly outlaw online sweepstakes casinos with a vote of 44-1. Next, the bill heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Last month, Republican Senator Joey Fillingane introduced Senate Bill 2510, an amendment to existing legislation outlawing electronic sweepstakes devices and establishments like internet sweepstakes cafes. His bill sought to expand those legal definitions to include online sweepstakes casino games, entities operating or promoting sweeps gaming sites, and would also raise the criminal penalties for violations.
A substituted version of that bill with comparable key details is what ultimately passed in the Senate, as first reported by Daniel Wallach on LinkedIn.
While the bill passed by a landslide in this chamber, Wallach notes that a “motion to reconsider” was entered in the Senate, with no accompanying details as yet.
“Barring any reversal, it appears that the Mississippi Senate has become the first legislative body in the U.S. to ban online sweepstakes casinos,” Wallach writes.
Potential Mississippi sweeps ban details
As with the original bill, the committee substitute for SB 2510 that passed in the Senate seeks to expand current prohibitions of gambling like electronic sweepstakes devices to include their online, internet-based counterparts.
More specifically, the act aims to amend sections of the Mississippi Code of 1972:
- “To include any online, interactive, or computerized version of games within the prohibition on betting, gaming, or wagering and any online, interactive, or computerized version of any game as defined in section 75-76-5 (K) shall be a gaming device” and
- “To include internet sweepstakes casinos within the prohibitions of this section” (Section 97-33-8)
The bill also raises the criminal charge for convicted violations (for both operators and promoters) to a felony, subject to:
- A fine up to $100,000 or up to 10 years in prison, or both
- Forfeiture of assets, rights, and privileges used in connection with violations of the provision
This is a significant detail considering it would also implicate additional parties seen as promoting sweeps casinos which could include affiliates, advertising agencies, payment processors and possibly others.
If the bill proceeds and passes in the House, it will go to Governor Tate Reeves’ desk to sign it into law. The bill would be effective as of July 1, 2025 if approved.
Similarities to bills in other states
Mississippi was the first to propose a bill to ban online sweepstakes casinos, but it’s not the only state to do so. Connecticut and Maryland also have sweepstakes gaming ban bills on the table, with hearings coming up in each state – a public hearing in CT on Feb. 14 and committee hearings for MD’s bills on March 5 and 6.
These three states all have established anti-sweepstakes gambling stances and are looking to update outdated gaming regulations and sweepstakes laws that were written in a time before concerns of unregulated internet gaming (and to make them more enforceable).
While each sweeps ban bill is a little different, there are a number of similarities emerging across states in these early editions.
Like the MS bill, the MD and CT bills both include not only the operators themselves but also entities promoting them. Maryland’s proposed Senate bill explicitly prohibits promoters of sweepstakes casinos including any entities holding a gaming license like gaming manufacturers and media affiliates.
That version would also make violators guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to revocation of gaming licenses, up to three years imprisonment, and a fine up to $100,000. A similar companion bill was introduced in the Maryland House.
Connecticut’s proposed bill also includes promoters and is unique in naming sports betting in its updated sweepstakes prohibitions. It would update existing law to include the following provision: “No person shall conduct or promote a sweepstakes or a promotional drawing…that allows or facilitates participation in any real or simulated online casino gaming or sports wagering, unless such person is licensed under chapter 229b.”
Similar to the MS bill, CT would raise the penalty on violators from a class A misdemeanor to a class D felony.
If these bills pass and prove successful in helping states push sweeps operators out of their markets, expect other states to follow with comparable bills.