The California State Legislature has officially decided to slam the door on sweepstakes casino operators in the state.
- The California State Assembly passed A.B. 831, which bans sweepstakes casinos and sportsbooks, sending the bill to Governor Gavin Newsom for approval.
- The legislation prohibits not only sweepstakes operators but also support from entities like payment processors and media affiliates, aiming to curb unregulated gambling.
- Backed by Native American tribes, the bill could help reinforce tribal gaming exclusivity and is part of a broader push to clarify and enforce California’s gambling laws.
Members of the California State Assembly voted on Friday to pass Assemblymember Avelino Valencia’s A.B. 831 by a unanimous, 63-0 vote.
The legislation will prohibit the operation and offering of sweepstakes casinos and sportsbooks, as well as make it illegal for payment processors, media affiliates, and other entities to support sweeps.
A.B. 831 was amended into an anti-sweeps bill in the California State Senate, which then passed the legislation earlier this week. The Assembly voted on Friday to concur with the Senate's anti-sweeps amendments.
Now, with the approval by the Assembly, A.B. 831 can head to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk to be signed into law, to become law without a signature, or be vetoed.
If the bill becomes law, that would put a ban on sweepstakes casinos and sportsbooks in place in the most populous state in the U.S., a huge win for opponents of the sites and their “dual-currency" system of gambling.
The sweeps crackdown in California draws nigh:
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) September 9, 2025
California Senate Passes Sweepstakes Casino Ban Billhttps://t.co/2zhyGZiXxL @Covers
While a few states have banned sweepstakes casinos, such as New Jersey, and regulators in others have taken action against operators, California would easily be the largest jurisdiction to take a stand. It would also do so with support from the state’s casino-operating Native American tribes, who see sweeps as an unregulated and unwanted competitor to their businesses.
“Tribal gaming exclusivity, as granted by the voters of California, must be honored,” the California Nations Indian Gaming Association has said in a statement in support of the bill. “Allowing unregulated and predatory sweepstakes operators to bypass these regulations undermines that trust and the integrity of California’s gaming policies.”
The sweeps crackdown in California has been opposed by sweeps operators that have claimed it would criminalize a legal form of entertainment. Those operators sought instead a form of state regulation and taxation for their business.
However, the looming ban forms part of a broader effort to more clearly define what is and isn’t legal gambling in California.
California’s attorney general said in July that paid daily fantasy contests are illegal, and the tribes have voiced their concerns about federally regulated prediction markets in the courts and to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Three California tribes have sued prediction markets Kalshi and Robinhood as well.
