When it comes to preserving the sweepstakes casino market at its current level in the United States, the largest sweeps advocacy organization in the country is splitting its resources between two major population centers.
Of course, the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance is still lobbying Gov. Gavin Newsom to veto California’s Assembly Bill 831, which passed on Sept. 12. For the past several months, it has seemed that all pro-sweeps lobbying took place in California, which, according to a recent independent study, may be responsible for almost 20% of the country’s sweeps revenue.
But now, the SGLA, which recently merged with the Social and Promotional Games Association to form one larger advocacy group to better serve the sweeps industry, has started a campaign to rally opposition to a bill already signed in another state — where recent comments indicate there may be a sliver of hope for sweeps operators.
New York.
With most industry chatter suggesting it’s unlikely Newsom vetoes AB831, the SGLA may realize its resources are of better use at the very least split between California and New York.
‘Governor Hochul now has an opportunity to stand with players’
In a LinkedIn post from earlier this week, the SGLA wrote:
“New York, your online social games could be taken away! Tell Governor Hochul to veto S. 5935-A / A. 6745-A and stop the ban on online social games with sweepstakes promotions before it’s too late.”
The post then included a link that directs users to a petition page hosted on Quorum.us, a public affairs platform, used by the SGLA. Quorum is designed to support organizations — including corporations, nonprofits, and advocacy groups like the SGLA — in engaging with lawmakers, monitoring legislation, and managing government relations and advocacy initiatives.
It’s the same online platform the SGLA used to attempt to rally opposition to AB831 and get California players to contact their lawmakers and ask them to vote against AB831. (That effort, despite generating nearly 38,000 instances of California players contacting local lawmakers, did not work; AB831 passed unanimously through all its committee hearings and in both the full Senate and Assembly votes.)
“Your favorite games are about to change in New York forever,” the SGLA’s Quorum page description reads. “Lawmakers in Albany passed a bill that would ban the fun, safe and always free-to-play online social games with sweepstakes promotions that New Yorkers love.
“While many online social gaming platforms have already made the decision to cease promotions in the New York market, Governor Hochul now has an opportunity to stand with players and protect access to these popular game promotions.”
After inputting their New York address, users are given three options to contact Gov. Kathy Hochul: email, call, or X.
There are multiple email templates. Here’s what one template says (users can make changes if they want):
I am reaching out to express my strong opposition to S. 5935-A / A. 6745-A, which would ban online social games. As a New York voter, I am deeply concerned about this bill and what it represents.
Recent polling shows that 84% of Americans agree that we should modernize our laws to regulate and tax online social games, not ban them. Regulation and taxation would ensure that the economic impacts this multi-billion industry currently contributes to the New York economy don’t disappear, and would unlock millions more in new annual revenue for schools, healthcare and more.
As a constituent, I believe lawmakers should regulate, not ban, the online social games with sweepstakes promotions that New Yorkers love to play.
Please don’t take away the games we love. Please veto S. 5935-A / A. 6745-A.
As of the afternoon of Sept. 23, there had been 2,024 actions taken — meaning emails, phone calls, and posts to X combined.
“New Yorkers oppose a ban of online social games with sweepstakes, and it’s important that Governor Hochul hear from them,” an SGLA spokesperson told Sweepsy. “Our polling shows that’s true in New York — as it is across the country. We hope the voices of New York players who have enjoyed these games for more than a decade will help the Governor make the right decision: to veto S. 5935-A / A. 6745-A.”
The backstory
Senate Bill 5935, authored by vocal iGaming proponent Sen. Joseph Addabbo, passed through the New York Legislature in mid-June. Around that same time, New York Attorney General Letitia James sent out a whopping 26 cease-and-desist letters to many of the most popular brands in sweepstakes gaming.
As a result, New York swiftly became seen as an off-limits state and most reputable operators added the jurisdiction to their restricted lists.
However, it’s been three months since the bill passed, and Hochul has yet to take action. She has until the end of the year. But recent comments from Addabbo suggest some unease at Hochul’s delayed response to the bill.
“We are waiting for the governor to sign it,” Addabbo told SBC Americas last week. “When the New Jersey governor signed their version of the sweepstakes ban, I sent that article to my contact in the governor’s office, saying, ‘Hey, just saying, Jersey’s governor signed it.’ You know? ‘How about it?’ But we’re waiting. … The governor, if she wants to, has this opportunity.”
And those comments came several weeks after Addabbo said in an interview with Sweepsy that regulating sweepstakes casinos after first legalizing real-money online casinos is “an opportunity that I want to create.”
So … you’re saying there’s a chance?
The SGLA’s decision to launch this New York opposition campaign suggests it senses even the smallest crack in the door, and it’s now trying to wedge a foot in that crack.
“This isn’t a temporary setback,” the Quorum page description reads. “This new legislation would slam the door shut permanently on your favorite games using sweepstakes promotions. The games may remain to play for free, but sweepstakes promotions would be no more.
“No consultation. No negotiations. Just gone.
“If this legislation passes, it would irretrievably set back thoughtful dialogue about balanced regulation that could protect players while supporting innovation and economic growth in the state.
“Your voice could save these games and promotions. By hearing from players like you, Governor Hochul can make an informed decision that supports both consumer choice and responsible innovation. Key legislators have already started voicing support for sensible, modern regulation and taxation as opposed to outright bans.”
Of course, even if the bill is vetoed, the presence of that mountain of cease-and-desist letters would keep many of the largest sweeps casinos from operating in New York. But legislation is the most effective way to keep all operators out, so without a passed bill, there would be operators that choose to still offer their games in the state.
