Sports Betting Sites / Play / California Assembly Bill 831 in the 'Suspense File' What It Means and How the August 25 Hearing May Ban Sweepstakes in California

California Assembly Bill 831 in the 'Suspense File' What It Means and How the August 25 Hearing May Ban Sweepstakes in California

Lou Monaco

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Publish Date: Aug 21, 2025

Fact checked by: Sara Jane Gamelli

Is the Golden State banning sweepstakes casinos or not? After Monday's committee meeting, the "suspense" is palpable.

The seven-member California State Senate’s Appropriations Committee convened on Monday morning and added Assembly Bill 831, sponsored by Assembly member Avelino Valencia and co-sponsored and by several Native American groups in the state such as the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation and the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA), to their “Suspense File,” along with many others.

The Suspense File is a procedural mechanism used by the Appropriations Committees in both the state Senate and Assembly to manage bills with significant fiscal impacts. The file is a holding place for bills that are estimated to cost the state a significant amount of money - approx. $50,000 or more from the General Fund or $150,000 or more from any fund in any fiscal year, as determined by the Legislative Counsel’s Office. This allows the committees to review and prioritize these bills collectively, considering the state’s budget constraints, rather than voting on them individually throughout the legislative session. If the fiscal impact exceeds the threshold, the bill is placed on the Suspense File. office of the attorney general in california

AB 831 proposes a crackdown on sweepstakes casino sites in the state but must first be freed from suspense. During a Suspense Day hearing - usually held twice a year (May and August) - the committee chair rapidly announces which bills are moved off the Suspense File to proceed to a floor vote and which are "held" on the file. Bills held on the Suspense File are effectively dead for that legislative session, with no public debate or vote.

An anticipated hearing has been tentatively set for Monday, Aug. 25 (10 a.m. PT) as the last day for the Appropriations Committee to report the bill to the Senate floor will be Friday, Aug. 29.

Looking Forward

If A.B. 831 does become law, it would prohibit operating online sweeps that use a “dual currency” model for casino-like wagering, including sports betting. It will contain penalties for those who operate and offer online sweepstakes casinos, by creating a misdemeanor violation which can result in up to one year of jail time and $1,000-$25,000 in fines.

The current legislation proposal is also part of a tribal-backed effort to bring more clarity to what is and isn’t legal gambling in the state. The state’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, recently penned an opinion that all forms of paid daily fantasy sports contests are illegal in the state, as well as pushback against federally regulated prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket.

Several other state legislatures have met to take action against sweepstakes casinos and sportsbooks in 2025, including New Jersey which outlawed sweepstakes casinos last week.

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