Florida’s $70M Sweepstakes Question: Regulate Or Ban?

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has scheduled meetings with sweepstakes casino executives in early 2026 after issuing subpoenas to several platforms—a move that could determine whether the billion-dollar industry can continue operating in the state before legislators consider banning it outright.

The meetings, first reported by Florida Politics, will allow companies to “exchange information, present their cases and inform them of the strict guidelines by which they must abide to continue doing business in the state.”

The attorney general’s dual approach—subpoenas paired with dialogue—comes as two bills that could effectively outlaw sweepstakes casinos advance through the legislature ahead of the March session.

“We stand by the Compact with the Seminole Tribe,” Uthmeier told Florida Politics. “It’s been a huge success, and it’s a great way to ensure that Florida taxpayers are getting the benefit of a significant revenue share to the state, moving through an application and gaming apparatus that is highly regulated, safe, and free from illicit activities.”

Industry pushes for modernization over prohibition

The Florida meetings arrive as sweepstakes operators mount a national campaign to rewrite outdated state laws rather than face outright bans.

Patrick Fechtmeyer, founder and CEO of ARB Interactive—the company behind Modo.us and Publishers Clearing House—told Sweepsy.com, a publication covering the sweepstakes casino industry, that he and fellow industry stakeholders are working with state legislatures to introduce “Sweepstakes Modernization Acts” in the coming weeks and months.

“When activity is already happening on the internet, the practical choice is to regulate what’s in front of you,” Fechtmeyer told Sweepsy. “If you don’t, that activity simply moves offshore, and states lose oversight, consumer protection, and economic value.”

Fechtmeyer contends that state sweepstakes statutes are relics of an era built around magazine contests and mail-in entries—ill-equipped to address digital platforms now handling billions in transactions.

So far, New Jersey is the only state to introduce a bill this session that would create a regulatory framework for current sweepstakes operators. New York has an iGaming bill in play, but it would require operators to have stayed out of the New York market for at least three years before applying. Florida’s pending legislation takes the opposite approach.

All of this while operators continue to expand, some with social play only.

Bills would outlaw sweepstakes operations

House Bill 591, filed by Rep. Berny Jacques, would classify internet gambling to include any game that “simulates casino-style gaming, including, but not limited to, slot machines, video poker, and table games.” Operating such games would carry third-degree felony charges.

House Bill 189 passed its second committee vote earlier this month and contains language similar to that broadening the definition of internet gambling.

The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance, a trade group representing sweepstakes operators, criticized HB 591’s scope, stating it “fails to account for how lawful promotional sweepstakes operate in Florida.”

Florida represents one of the largest markets for sweepstakes casinos in the country. An economic impact report commissioned by the SGLA found that Florida accounts for 8.5 percent of the industry’s nationwide revenue, with operators generating more than $1 billion in annual player spending from the state. The group has argued that licensing and taxing sweepstakes casinos could generate $70 million annually for Florida.

Whether Uthmeier’s early 2026 meetings signal a path toward regulation or serve as a final warning before enforcement remains unclear. Florida’s legislative session begins March 3.