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What is next for the Sweepstakes Casino Ban Bill AB831 in California?

Sports Writer

Publish Date: Sep 09, 2025

Fact checked by: Sara Jane Gamelli

Key Points

Bill to ban sweepstakes casinos passed in California Senate 36-0 this week
Bill now returns to Assembly for concurrence: either to be sent to Gov. Newsom, or reworked
Legislative session ends Friday, Sept. 12

Lawmakers in Sacramento will be busy this week. The legislative session concludes on Friday, September 12. But before that happens, the state assembly will need to address a bill that has bounced back to them from the Senate.

Assembly Bill 831 left the lower house and found its way through a committee in the Senate last month. Earlier this week, on Monday, the body voted 36-0 to pass the bill, which prohibits sweepstakes casinos and social casino apps that rely on dual-currency models.

Now, AB 831 goes back to the assembly for "concurrence." That process could be rapid, or it could end up requiring a flurry of activity for the bill.

In concurrence, a bill that has been amended by one body of the legislature is returned to where it came from for examination. If the originating body agrees with the amendments, the bill can be quickly passed on to the governor for action. The governor can veto it or sign it into law.

But the the body (in this case the assembly) has issues with the amendments it can either refuse to act on the bill or send it back to the other body (in this case the senate) for review and amendments.

AB 831 was amended by the assembly in July when debate was held over the measure in committee. That bill was sent to the Senate in August, where it was amended last week. The most recent amendments mostly mollified critics who worried that the bill would strike down sweepstakes contests and games that are not gambling-related. The amendments to the bill made by the Senate exempt retail sweepstakes games. The bill now represents a narrow focus on banning sweepstakes and social casino platforms that utilize dual-currency."

How concurrence works in the California State Assembly

A bill must be vetted and passed in both houses of the California legislature in Sacramento at the Capitol: the Assembly and Senate.

A bill can be authored and submitted in either house. When one house is done working on a bill, it's sent to the other house, which has an opportunity to amend the language. That body can then vote on the bill.

In the case of AB 831, it passed the State Senate this week unanimously. Now, the bill returns to the assembly, where it originated. The next step is up to Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, the lawmaker who authored the bill originally. Valencia can accept the changes made in the Senate or not. If he accepts the amended language to his bill, he can make a motion for the bill to be sent to Governor Gavin Newsom.

The governor can sign it into law or veto the bill.

If Assemblymember Valencia does not like the changes to his bill, the assembly must take a nonconcurrence vote. That vote is to decide whether the bill can be sent to a committee which will be tasked with figuring out a compromise to move the bill forward. Or that vote could essentially kill the bill.

If the nonconcurrence vote passes, assembly members will need to pull together a committee to debate the amended language of the bill. That group would likely include Valencia.

Lawmakers would need to work quickly: the legislature ends its session on September 12. By law, the governor has until the end of September to act on any bill sent to him before the end of the session.

If AB 831 does not find its way to Gov. Newsom's desk this month, the issue will need to wait. The full legislature does not reconvene until January of 2026. By that time, if AB 831 hadn't been signed into law, it's likely that a new bill would need to be proposed in one of the houses.

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