Senators in Oklahoma and Tennessee passed bills that could prohibit sweepstakes casinos, and both measures now move to their respective state Houses, according to reports. Oklahoma’s SB1589 passed 48-0, while Tennessee’s SB2136 passed 32-0; Oklahoma’s bill would take effect in November if approved by the House and Governor Kevin Stitt.
The bills could make sweepstakes casino operations unlawful in two US states if enacted.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed Senate Bill 2136 into law, banning online sweepstakes casinos statewide. The law prohibits dual-currency gaming across slot simulations, video poker, table games, bingo and sports wagering.
Tennessee lawmakers ended their legislative session without agreeing on legislation to ban sweepstakes casinos. The House approved an amendment removing explicit references to the platforms, but the Senate rejected it; a proposed study of legalising and regulating them also failed. The attorney general has sent cease-and-desist letters to operators he alleges are running illegal gambling businesses.
Tennessee lawmakers passed Senate Bill 2136 in the House on 23 April, after rejecting it earlier that day, according to the report. The revised bill targets online sweepstakes casinos and related facilitators, gives the attorney general’s office expanded investigative powers and is awaiting final enrollment before going to Governor Bill Lee.
Tennessee’s House State & Local Government Committee approved HB 1885 by a 21-0 vote, with one abstention, sending it to the Finance, Ways & Means Committee before a possible full House vote. The proposed ban would allow fines of up to $15,000 per violation. In Maryland, a Senate committee heard HB 1226 but did not vote; the bill had passed the House 135-1 on 23 March.
Tennessee Representative Scott Cepicky introduced House Bill 1885 to classify sweepstakes casino operations as illegal online gambling under the state Consumer Protection Act, according to the bill summary. The proposal would allow civil fines of up to $15,000 per violation and expand investigative powers; neither it nor companion Senate Bill 2136 had come to a vote.