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Minnesota sweepstakes casino ban proposal dies in committee

Legal Writer

Publish Date: May 27, 2026

Fact checked by: Matt Moreno

Key Points

Minnesota SF 4474 was approved by the state Senate but went nowhere in the House of Representatives.
Bill joins measures in several other US states that failed to receive requisite approval in 2026.
Washington, D.C. remains the only US jurisdiction considering a sweepstakes casino ban for the year.

The 2026 legislative session in St. Paul has ended with numerous pieces of legislation seeing the clock run out on their chances to become law during the year. Among those bills that did not complete the legislative process in time was a proposal that would have banned the operation and promotion of sweepstakes casinos in Minnesota.

The bill saw considerable support in the Minnesota Senate, which may point to sponsors presenting a similar measure in 2027. Minnesota was one of three states in 2026 in which proposed sweepstakes casino bans failed but one remains under active consideration in Washington, D.C.

General views of the Minnesota State Capitol on October 22, 2023 in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

(Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

SF 4474 hits dead end in Minnesota House committee

After the Minnesota Senate approved SF 4474 in early May by a convincing 62-3 margin, time was short to get the proposal through the Minnesota House of Representatives for Gov. Tim Walz’s consideration. SF 4474 never came up for a vote in the House Public Safety, Finance, and Policy Committee, though, before the 2026 session concluded in St. Paul.

SF 4474 would have outlawed the offering to people in Minnesota of casino-style games online that utilize a dual-currency system to award prizes to players. The bill also proposed to ban the promotion of such websites.

The measure enjoyed bipartisan support in the Senate, with sponsors evenly split on party lines. However, Republican leadership in the divided House did not prioritize its progress in the waning days of the 2026 session.

The strong show of support for the bill in the Senate along with bipartisan sponsorship may signal that proponents will try again in 2027. Minnesota wasn’t the only place in 2026 where legislators failed to get sweepstakes casino restrictions to the end goal.

Multiple bills in other states also failed to clear deadlines

Sponsors for sweepstakes casino ban legislation in several other states also have to consider whether to try again in future sessions. Their attempts saw varying degrees of success in 2026.

Florida SB 1580: different versions passed both state House and Senate but conference committee never called
Hawaii SB 3281: Deferred by House committee after clearing Senate
Massachusetts H4431: Bill never progressed beyond its original House committee
Maryland HB 0295/SB 0112 and HB 1226/SB 0652: Both House bills were approved by that chamber but never advanced beyond Senate committees.
Mississippi SB 2104: unanimously passed Senate but never progressed in House committee
Ohio HB 298: Proposal never advanced beyond the first assigned committee
Virginia HB 161: Conference committee was unable to work out uniform proposal to send to governor

As a result, there is one lone proposal still active in the U.S. that could restrict sweepstakes casinos at this time. That measure has an unclear future, though.

Washington, D.C. is final point of deliberation for sweepstakes casino bans in 2026

An online casino regulation proposal, B26-0656, includes provisions that would block sweepstakes casino sites from operating in the District of Columbia legally. The filing was the subject of a dedicated hearing in early May.

However, B26-0656 would also regulate real money online casino games in the District, meaning that the progress of a sweepstakes casino ban is tied to support for a broader expansion of Washington, D.C.’s gambling regulation framework. That concept drew scrutiny from council members during the hearing.

For that reason, B26-0656 could meet the same fate as Minnesota SF 4474 in 2026. Adjustments to which parts of the U.S. that sweepstakes casinos can legally operate in may be finished for the year.

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