Montana becomes first US state to ban sweepstakes gambling
Governor Greg Gianforte has signed Senate Bill 555 into law.
US.- Montana has become the first US state to pass legislation to explicitly prohibit online sweepstakes casinos. Governor Greg Gianforte has signed Senate Bill 555, and the new law will enter into effect on October 1.
SB 555 does not refer to sweepstakes gambling by name, but bans website or apps that “knowingly transmit or receive gambling information” and allow consumers to place a bet or wager and receive payouts using any form of currency, thus targetting sweepstakes and social casinos’ use of dual currency systems. The Montana House and Senate passed the bill in April.
Legislation to ban sweepstakes is being considered in several states, including in Ohio, where representative Brian Stewart introduced House Bill 298 in a bid to legalise and tax online gambling in the state.
The legislation defines sweepstake as “any game, contest, advertising scheme or plan, or other promotion where consideration is not required for a person to enter to win or become eligible to receive any prize, the determination of which is based upon chance.”
In Connecticut, Senate Bill 1235 would ban lottery couriers and online sweepstakes. It has passed the Legislative Commissioners’ Office, the state’s Judiciary Committee and the Joint Committee on General Law.
In Florida, a pair of bills that would have amended Florida’s gambling laws failed to pass before the 2025 legislative session ended. House Bill 1467 and Senate Bill 1404 sought to make sweepstakes gaming a third-degree felony.
