Indiana has actually enacted legislation targeting online sweepstakes-style gambling establishment platforms, marking another state-level relocation versus dual-currency gaming models. House Bill 1052 has actually now been signed into law by Gov. Mike Braun, introducing penalties for operators who provide specific online games to Indiana homeowners.

- Indiana has actually enacted House Bill 1052, targeting online sweepstakes-style gambling establishment platforms that use dual-currency systems.

- The law specifies these platforms as internet-based video games imitating casino or lottery game products.

- The legislation takes effect July 1, 2026, and faced opposition from the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance.

Under the step, sweepstakes are defined as internet-based games that mimic gambling establishment or lottery game items, utilizing double - or multi-currency systems that can be exchanged for prizes or cash equivalents. The Indiana Gaming Commission will also have the power to enforce substantial civil penalties of approximately $100,000 on operators who purposefully engage in such activities within the state.

Before making its method to the Governor's desk, it had passed the House on Feb. 2 with a vote of 87-11, and after that followed with a Senate vote on Feb. 17, which saw 37-8 in favor of the procedure's passage.

The legislation has also faced arranged opposition throughout its journey through the legislature, especially from the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance, which unsuccessfully advised lawmakers to manage social-plus video gaming instead of restrict it outright.

The law goes into effect on July 1, 2026. Indiana signs up with the similarity Connecticut and Montana, which have actually already prohibited sweepstakes gambling establishments.

Other states advance anti-sweepstakes expenses

Legislative action targeting sweepstakes gambling establishments is likewise speeding up somewhere else. Tennessee and Oklahoma just recently advanced costs through their state senates that target comparable dual-currency online video gaming platforms.

In Tennessee, Senate Bill 2136 approaches the issue through consumer security law. The costs specifies online sweepstakes games as web gambling that uses virtual currencies to allow gamers to exchange that currency for rewards, money, or cash equivalents, or simply the opportunity to win them.

The proposal puts these activities within the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, allowing infractions to be classified as unfair or misleading practices.

SB 2136 now relocates to the Tennessee House of Representatives. Lawmakers are likewise thinking about a companion procedure, House Bill 1885, which could be combined into the Senate bill if both chambers approve similar language.

Oklahoma is pursuing a more stringent criminal approach. Senate Bill 1589 amends the state's gambling statutes to explicitly consist of online casino-style games. The expense broadens liability to business offering services to sweepstakes operators, including geolocation service providers, video gaming suppliers, platform hosts, promoters, and media affiliates.

Violations would be classified as Class C2 felonies, bring fines in between $500 and $2,000 and possible imprisonment. The bill now advances to the Oklahoma House of Representatives, where legislators are reviewing an associated proposal that has currently cleared 2 committees.