New laws out of New York might spell massive bother for sweepstakes gaming. State Senator Joseph Addabbo proposed a brand new legislation that might ban sweepstakes gaming within the state.
Per Addabbo’s Bill 5935, all on-line contests with a “dual-currency” system that can be utilized in trade for money could be banned. Addabbo additionally lays out the kinds of video games that might be banned on this invoice, and it consists of sports activities playing websites which have exploded in recognition.
| Slots | Video Poker |
| Blackjack | Roulette |
| Craps | Poker |
| Lottery Video games | On the spot Win Video games |
| Keno | Bingo |
| Sports activities Wagering |
Why Go After Sweepstakes Video games?
Sweepstakes video games are nothing new. Older Millennials like me are most likely conversant in Ed McMahon and the Publishers’ Clearing Home sweepstakes video games that noticed Ed and staffers run as much as owners with outsized checks with tens of millions in prize cash.
Sweepstakes video games technically don’t have any price to play; signing up is all gamers have to get in.
Immediately, that is advanced with digital currencies or tokens that enable gamers to play without cost and in some circumstances trade these tokens for precise money. However as a result of a lot of these video games do not truly require cash to play, they skirt round regulation. A lot to ire of lawmakers.
Throughout the New York Gaming Fee’s opening assembly of the 2025 calendar yr, chairman Brian O’Dwyer pledged to come back down on sweepstakes video games, saying: “I can guarantee my fellow Commissioners and the general public that if this exercise continues and is discovered to be in violation of New York State’s gaming legislation that we’ll do all the things doable to guarantee that that legislation is protected and revered.”
Senator Addabbo took that pledge to coronary heart when drafting this new legislation to ban the apply.
The invoice continues to be in its infancy requiring a variety of deliberation earlier than it is adopted into legislation. Presently it is in entrance of the state senate’s Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee for consideration.
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