Sweepstakes Casinos in the News - Louisiana AG Speaks, Maine Update + California ACLU Joins Fight

Louisiana AG Speaks Out Against Sweeps Casinos

This month, Louisiana's Attorney General, Liz Murrill, made a declaration stating that online sweepstakes casinos are illegal.

Louisiana State Senator Rick Edmonds asked the AG if sweepstakes casino platforms follow the state's laws on gaming. Attorney General Murrill claimed that they do not.

According to Murrill, the games offered at sweeps casinos are illegal under the State's gambling laws due to their fees, keeping of some funds charged, and awarding prizes.

She differentiated these "sweepstakes" games from the legal promotions by companies like Marriott, claiming that the legal promotions are offered by companies that operate yearlong to make a profit from their base businesses, and do not exist solely to operate a sweepstakes.

Murrill's statements come on the heels of June action from the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, which on June 17, 2025 sent over forty online "gambling" sites cease-and-desist letters. Note that we used parentheses on the word "gambling," because, despite what the regulatory bodies and AG of Louisiana say, there are still doubts whether these activities constitute "gambling."

We'll keep you updated as the situation in Louisiana continues to evolve.

Maine Gambling Control Unit Takes Aim at Sweeps Casinos

Next we head out to the extreme northeast corner of the continental US for sweepstakes casino news out of the state of Maine.

In a new report, the Maine Gambling Control Unit, a part of the State's Department of Public Safety, fired a warning shot at sweepstakes casinos, claiming that they are illegal, unlicensed platforms.

From their statement:

"Despite the legality of online advance deposit wagering, fantasy contests and sports wagering, online casino games like slots, blackjack, and roulette for real money remain strictly prohibited in the State."

The statement calls sweeps casinos "unregulated entities" and describe their offerings as "illicit iGaming." They also advise citizens of Maine to avoid these sites or they are playing at them at their own risk, stating that the Maine Gambling Control Unit will not intervene in disputes about account issues or winnings.

To date, we haven't noticed a single sweepstakes casino pull out of Maine due to the MGCU's statement. We'll keep you updated if that changes.

California ACLU Joins Fight Against Sweeps Casino Ban

As often is the case when legislators turn their eye towards gaming, few actors other than gaming-industry backed groups tend to stand in the way. That changed pretty quickly this week in California.

ACLU California Action, the state branch of the ACLU, announced its opposition to AB 831, the bill moving through the legislative process in California that has been designed to prohibit sweeps casinos, suppliers and influencers.

In particular, the California chapter of the ACLU is concerned about provisions related to influencers and the broad wording of the proposed legislation.

Prosecutors could argue that anyone participating in the sweeps casino games is supporting the platform, and under the new bill that is proposed, there are serious consequences, including significant periods of incarceration.

We will keep you updated as this situation progresses.