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Sweeps News - State Attorneys General Ask D.O.J. to Crack Down on Social Casinos

Democrats and Republicans agree on few things these days, and for that reason it is quite notable that all fifty state attorneys general from both parties are asking US Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice to crank up the heat on sweepstakes casinos.

published: 08-08-2025

Last updated: 08-08-2025

Steve Lapinski
Steve Lapinski
Editor
Chad Nagel
Sports Betting & Casino Editor

9 minutes read

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State AGs are asking the DOJ, led by US Attorney General Pam Bondi, to start cracking down on sweepstakes casinos.

More Big Sweepstakes Casino News Updates

The big sweepstakes casino news keeps pouring in this week and we have some updates you won't want to miss.

The AGA (American Gaming Association), haters of social casinos and proponents of the regulated gaming companies they represent, has released their new "research" reinforcing their own viewpoint about sweepstakes casino sites.

This new release comes at a potentially pivotal moment for the social casino industry in the US, as all fifty state attorneys general - both Republicans and Democrats - are asking the Department of Justice to lay the wood to sweepstakes casinos.

Let's get to all that news...

All 50 State AGs Want Pam Bondi Action on Sweeps

In a rare show of bipartisan unity, Democratic and Republican attorneys general of all fifty states are urging federal intervention on the issue of sweepstakes casinos and online sportsbooks.

The group of state AGs are asking the Department of Justice, led by US Attorney General (and Trump appointee) Pam Bondi, to take action against sites that operate outside the state-licensed gaming options.

Federal intervention is likely to look significantly different than the state measures so far, should it come to pass.

The federal law enforcement agencies, such as the DOJ and FBI, have more tools at their disposal that can truly disrupt the industry, such as blocking access to payment networks and domain names, and/or finding federal violations tangentially related to the casino operations to attempt prosecutions of sweepstakes casino owners.

Those who have been around the online gaming industry for some time remember the "Black Friday" law enforcement action against online poker sites in 2011, which included domain name seizures and pure chaos among players at all the largest poker sites, as they were all locked out of their accounts and their on-deposit funds were inaccessible.

Hopefully that is not in the cards for the online social casino industry.

SportsBoom is committed to keeping you updated as things progress.

The AGA's Study of Sweeps Casinos Released

The American Gaming Association (AGA), and industry group that represents licensed online gaming companies in the US, has released their new study about USA sweepstakes casinos.

The AGA has previously made their position very clear on the subject of social and sweepstakes casinos previously, so it is no surprise that they were in a hurry to release their self-funded study that reinforces their point-of-view.

At the heart of the AGA's findings are the following statistics from a player survey that backs up their claims that social casinos are really gambling sites in disguise. From their study:

  • 90% of the social casino players actually believe that their activity is gambling
  • 80% of these players spend money at social casinos each month
  • 68% don't play for entertainment, but rather to win money

It is hard not to laugh at the AGA for spending money to do research like this.

Now there was one interesting finding in the research that the AGA released recently; half of all advertising about cash prize casino gaming in early 2025 came from sweepstakes casinos.

That's pretty incredible, considering all of the large, corporate state-sponsored casino gambling in this country.

We'll keep you updated as the AGA does more studies about things almost everybody already knows.

Steve Lapinski
Steve LapinskiEditor

Steve Lapinski specializes in just about everything related to slot machines and casino games, both online and in land-based casinos in the USA. With over 25 years experience in the online gaming industry and nearly 40 years as a recreational gambler, the breadth of his knowledge on these topics is matched by few. Steve is passionate about casinos, and he takes great pride in sharing his knowledge of the subject with his readers.

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