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Next step for California ban on Sweepstakes Casinos is August 18 hearing

Sports Writer

Publish Date: Jul 23, 2025

Fact checked by: Sara Jane Gamelli

Key Points

Assembly Bill 831 would prohibit sweepstakes casinos in the Golden State
ACLU opposes ban of sweepstakes and social casinos
Tribal nations and their supports support AB 831, whi9ch will be discussed in Senate Appropriations hearing on August 18

The continuing saga of the banning of sweepstakes casinos in the United States picks up next month when a California State Senate convenes a hearing on its proposed bill to eradicate these platforms.

Assembly Bill 831 (AB831) will be the subject of an August 18 hearing of the Senate Appropriations hearing in Sacramento. Lawmakers will vet, debate, poke and prod at the bill language, with a vote likely.

If that powerful committee approves AB831, it could be a key landmark in it becoming law.

california office of the attorney general

At a hearing in July with a different committee in the State Senate, comments were shared by several lawmakers who cited sovereign rights by tribal nations for their support of the ban.

So far, most tribal nations in California are in favor of AB831, which would make it unlawful for non-licensed sweepstakes and social casinos to operate in the state.

A handful of tribes operate their own mobile apps that use a similar structure as sweepstakes casinos, but they would not be impacted by a ban.

An amendment to AB831 is targeting potential violators of a ban. The amendment language, which has yet to be vetted by a Senate committee, reads in part:

“This bill would make it unlawful for any person or entity to operate, conduct, or offer an online sweepstakes game, as defined, in this state. The bill would make it unlawful for any entity, financial institution, payment processor, geolocation provider, gaming content supplier, platform provider, or media affiliate to knowingly support directly or indirectly the operation, conduct, or promotion of an online sweepstakes game within this state.”

The ACLU has expressed fears that AB831 adds a layer of criminality to gaming and operation of sweepstakes that is ambiguous. The amendment is considered an effort to mollify the ACLU.

Sweepstakes face scrutiny across the nation as states move to ban unregulated gaming

The legality of sweepstakes casinos is coming under increasing scrutiny across the country. As many as ten states have banned them outright, and more than half a dozen have issued cease and desist orders that have swept the operators out of their jurisdictions.

Most recently, New York and New Jersey passed bans

Louisiana used the cease and desist option, and Arizona is pressuring operators to leave.

Previously, the California Senate Governmental Organization and Senate Public Safety committees held hearings on the bill, passing it along through unopposed votes.

The August hearing is scheduled for the week that lawmakers return from a summer recess. The California legislative session ends in September. Stay updated with the latest Sweeps News—visit our Ballislife Play section.

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