Maine lawmakers discussed banning online sweeps casinos Wednesday, the latest state to consider a prohibition on these games.
- Maine lawmakers are considering legislation to ban dual-currency online sweeps casinos, which regulators argue operate as unlawful, unlicensed gambling.
- The proposal follows a growing national trend, with multiple states and regulators moving to prohibit or crack down on sweeps-style casino games.
- Legal iGaming operators and regulators support the ban, while sweeps operators argue their model is legal, consumer-friendly, and innovation-driven.
Milton Champion, the Maine Gambling Control Unit executive director, touted the bill to lawmakers during a bicameral hearing. Champion called dual-currency sweeps-style online casinos a form of “unlawful gambling” operating without a license in the state.
Lawmakers didn’t take a vote on the bill Wednesday. Legislators are set to discuss the bill and possible changes before taking further action.
Maine’s hearing is the latest in a growing push from statehouses across the country to ban the games.
Maine would join New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Nevada, Montana, and California in a list of states to legislatively ban the games, with more than a half dozen set to consider similar prohibitions this year. Multiple state attorneys general have interpreted existing law to outlaw such games, while a growing number of regulatory bodies have sent cease-and-desist letters with threats to pursue legal actions if operators continued accepting players in their jurisdictions.
Last week, Maine became the eighth state to legalize real-money online casinos.
Sweeps opposition
Sweeps casinos – offering free-to-play casino-style slot, table, and other games – expanded to more than 40 states in recent years. Leading operators partnered with celebrities as part of an expansive marketing blitz, promoting these offerings as a way to play casino games without having to deposit real money.
These games drew increasing scrutiny from state regulators for their dual-currency structure that allows players to use free-to-play “gold” coins as a means to acquire “sweeps” coins that could be used to win prizes. Players can also make purchases at many of these sites that allow for a chance to win financial awards, which critics decried as a workaround for illegal gambling.
Regulators – and the real-money online casino gaming industry – have lobbied lawmakers to pass bans, with the first wave of legislative prohibitions passing in 2025.
Maine legislators are discussing a sweeps casino ban bill today; Milton Champion, executive director of the state's Gambling Control Unit, told lawmakers that after banning sweeps casinos, he hopes lawmakers will crack down on prediction market sports event contracts
— Ryan Butler (@ButlerBets) January 14, 2026
DraftKings representatives testified in support of the bill Wednesday. The company operates legal mobile sports betting in more than two-dozen states, including Maine, and is positioned to be one of as many as four iCasinos set to launch in the state later this year.
“Maine has taken a step forward in legalizing a framework for online casino gaming that prioritizes consumer protection, responsible gaming, and regulatory oversight,” said Kevin Cochran, DraftKings' senior legal and government affairs director. “Unregulated sweepstake-style casino platforms operate outside of that framework, drawing players away from licensed operators and undermining the intent of the law.”
Operators make their case
Many of the nation’s major sweeps operators have looked to push back, labelling themselves “social plus” and seeking to work with regulators. Despite the growing legislative threats, these gaming operators have argued that their bifurcated playing structure exempts them from real-money casino gambling bans.
The eight states to legalize real money iGaming prohibit former sweeps providers from earning a license.
Most sweeps casino players never spend any money on the games, said Lloyd Melnick, chief growth officer at sweeps casino operator VGW, during Wednesday’s hearing. He told lawmakers that his company’s games were a safe entertainment option that sparked innovation in the state, compared to offshore operators without such protections that would continue to operate even if a ban was implemented.
“Maine can build on its momentum as an enterprising, and forward thinking state where innovators, entrepreneurs, and industry disruptors battle it out in the market,” Melnick said. “That way, residents of Maine have more entertainment options, and it creates fiscal opportunities for the state as the pioneer of social plus games.”
It remains to be seen when or how Maine lawmakers will proceed. But the most recent statehouse hearing about a potential ban, coming after a growing number of states have already implemented or introduced legislation to do so, underscores the perilous future these games face in many states going forward.
