The legislative session in Florida was extended to June, but two bills meant to ban sweepstakes casinos appear to be officially dead.
The session was originally to wrap up on May 2, but lawmakers have now moved the end date to June 2 for budgetary considerations and other funding elements.
Sen. Corey Simon had introduced SB 1404 to bar sweepstakes sites from operating in the state and a companion bill, HB 1467, was also filed in the house.
Neither bill is on the list for consideration during the session extension.
Those in the sweepstakes casino industry were pleased to see the efforts to ban the gaming platforms end. The news comes as similar efforts were unsuccessful in other states as well.
“The defeat of these bills continues a clear national trend,” the Social and Promotional Games Association trade group noted in a statement. “In the past few weeks, similar bills have been rejected in Arkansas, Maryland, and Mississippi. Lawmakers across the country are rejecting these anti-innovation, anti-business efforts that attempt to dictate what games American adults can play on their phones.”
Platforms Drew Criticism
Lawmakers have argued that sweepstakes casinos skirt gaming laws and take advantage of users. The platforms generally allow users to play games for free using a virtual currency. Players can also purchase additional coins that may include bonus coins that can also be played, accrued, and redeemed for real cash and prizes.
The Seminole tribe has a state-sanctioned monopoly for Florida online sports betting and Simon’s bill made it illegal to participate in any other form of online gambling or sports betting.
The bill defined “Internet gambling” as “to play or engage in any game in which money or other thing of value is awarded based on chance, regardless of any application of skill, that is available on the Internet and accessible on a mobile device, computer terminal, or other similar access device and simulates casino-style gaming, including, but not limited to, slot machines, video poker, and table games.”
Sweepstakes operators have argued that their offerings should be seen as more akin to play-money social gaming since players have no expectation of winning. The games have become a multi-billion dollar industry in recent years and have seen scrutiny from lawmakers.
However, Pennsylvania regulators recently noted that they can’t force the platforms out of the state because of current gaming law. Another attempt to ban them also failed in the Mississippi legislature.
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