Mississippi Senate Bans Sweepstakes Casinos Despite Industry Resistance

The Mississippi Senate has made a strong move to stop sweepstakes casinos by passing a bill to ban this debated form of gambling. 

Senate Overwhelmingly Backs Bill to Crack Down on Sweepstakes Gambling, House Vote Next

Senator Joey Fillingane introduced Senate Bill 2510, which got huge support and passed the Senate with a 44-1 vote. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives to be looked at further. If the House approves it and the governor signs it, the ban will start on July 1.

The bill seeks to change the state’s gambling rules putting sweepstakes gaming platforms in the same group as offshore online casinos. It does not give a clear legal definition of “sweepstakes casinos,” but it lumps them together with unlicensed operators and sets tough punishments for breaking the rules. The new law, if passed, would make running illegal gaming sites a felony. People caught doing this could go to prison for up to 10 years and pay fines of up to $100,000 for each offense.

Senator Fillingane stressed that the bill comes from teamwork between the Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) and people from licensed casinos. He pointed out that many locals use these online sites without knowing they might be breaking gambling laws. The bill, he made clear, does not aim to punish regular users but to go after the companies running such sites.

Mississippi’s regulators have already tried to stop illegal online gambling by sending stop orders to offshore companies, including Bovada, MyBookie, and BetOnline. But these efforts did not work well so lawmakers decided to create stronger laws.

SPGA Criticizes Mississippi’s Sweepstakes Casino Ban, Calls for Regulation Instead

The plan to ban sweepstakes casinos has made the industry angry. The Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA) speaking for several operators disagrees. They say social sweepstakes games have been a part of gaming for a long time and follow promotional gaming laws. The group slams the bill for treating their platforms like illegal gambling. They also accuse lawmakers of favoring old-school casinos over what customers want.

The SPGA also says this kind of law could hold back new ideas and cut down on entertainment options for people in Mississippi. Rather than a total ban, they want lawmakers to think about rules that make sure operations are transparent and customers are safe, while still letting sweepstakes operators run their businesses.

Mississippi is not the only state tackling the growth of sweepstakes gaming. Connecticut and Maryland have put forward similar bills to outlaw these platforms, while New Jersey is looking into ways to control them. At the same time, New York politicians are talking about whether to include these sites in bigger online gambling laws.

Besides banning sweepstakes, Mississippi lawmakers are also thinking about expanding online sports betting. The House pushed forward a bill that would let online sportsbooks team up with physical casinos. This change could shake up how gambling works in the state.