Florida’s Anti-Sweepstakes Bills Fizzle
Two Florida bills aiming to ban sweepstakes-based online gaming, SB 1404 and HB 1467, died in the 2025 legislative session, preserving digital platforms.
A Big Win for Digital Gaming
Florida’s lawmakers pumped the brakes on two bills, Senate Bill 1404 and House Bill 1467, which would’ve cracked down on sweepstakes-based online gaming and mobile sports betting outside the Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock platform.
Both bills, shelved indefinitely in the 2025 session, aimed to outlaw promotional sweepstakes casinos, block internet casino games, and criminalize non-Hard Rock sports betting.
HB 1467 also pushed to regulate Daily Fantasy Sports under the Florida Gaming Control Commission and tighten lobbying rules for former commissioners. But with no traction, they’re off the table, for now.
The Social and Promotional Games Association cheered the outcome as a “big victory for consumer choice and common sense,” slamming the bills as fear-driven attempts to criminalize free digital entertainment.
Critics argued the laws could’ve banned popular sweepstakes run by brands like McDonald’s or Starbucks, hurt Florida’s budget by killing legal businesses, and slapped new penalties on residents for playing phone games.
The bills’ flop aligns with a national trend, as similar anti-sweepstakes measures tanked in Arkansas, Maryland, and Mississippi recently.
Why They Didn’t Pass
SB 1404’s substitute bill couldn’t clear the Senate’s Agriculture, Environment, and General Government Appropriations Committee, while HB 1467 stalled in the House Commerce Committee amid a flurry of proposed amendments.
Lawmakers just weren’t hungry for what the Social and Promotional Games Association called “draconian” measures. The bills’ push to protect the Seminole Tribe’s Hard Rock monopoly and consumer safety clashed with fears of stifling innovation, curbing competition, and overreaching into legal activities. Some saw the bills as a backdoor to expand Hard Rock’s iGaming grip, which didn’t sit well with those rooting for a freer market.
Florida’s not alone in hitting pause. While Montana’s Senate Bill 555, banning sweepstakes casinos, awaits the governor’s signature after passing 88-11 in April 2025, anti-sweepstakes efforts elsewhere are 0-4.
States like New York and Connecticut are still mulling similar rules, but Florida’s rejection signals a broader pushback against clamping down on digital gaming platforms.
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