This is going to be a busy week for bills banning sweepstakes casinos.
Three pieces of legislation attacking the sweeps industry are currently set to be discussed in committee hearings over the coming days: Louisiana House Bill 883, Oklahoma Senate Bill 1589, and Tennessee House Bill 1885.
Making interpretations official law in Louisiana?
HB883 in Louisiana is set for a Wednesday hearing at 10 a.m. local time before the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee. The bill would essentially codify what interpretations of state law from Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill already imply …
That dual-currency gaming at sweepstakes casinos is illegal.
Interestingly, HB883 never explicitly mentions “sweepstakes” or directly refers to sweepstakes casinos. Instead, the bill focuses on redefining illegal online gambling by introducing the concept of a “dual-currency system of payment.”
Under the new language, illegal iGaming is defined as any online game, contest, or promotional activity that uses two forms of currency. If players can exchange either of these currencies for prizes, cash, cash equivalents, or even opportunities to win such rewards — and the activity mimics gambling — it falls under the category of illegal online gambling.
That targets the structure commonly used by sweepstakes casinos, most of which use two currencies in Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. Gold Coins are purchased and used strictly for entertainment within the platform, carrying no real-world value and no redemption value.
Sweeps Coins, on the other hand, can be redeemed for cash, so Sweeps Coins would cause the problem for sweeps casinos if HB883 passes. However, because Sweeps Coins are technically free, this model has long existed in a legal gray area, allowing platforms to operate outside conventional gambling regulations.
That gray area would close up, though, should HB883 pass in Louisiana.
Wednesday marks the first committee hearing for HB883. Louisiana’s 2026 legislative session ends on June 1, though, and the crossover deadline isn’t even until May 29. So there is more than enough time for HB883 to proceed through all necessary steps.
After month of inactivity, Oklahoma SB1589 is back in action
At 3 p.m. local time Tuesday, Oklahoma’s SB1589 will receive its first House hearing after clearing the Senate unanimously on March 2. Tuesday’s hearing will be before the House Criminal Judiciary Committee.
SB1589 would beef up existing gambling restrictions by placing all forms of online gaming under the exclusive authority of tribal operators governed by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. In doing so, the measure effectively blocks any non-tribal entities from offering online gaming of any kind.
Beyond that, and more importantly in the short term for sweeps casinos, the bill also revises the meaning of “representatives of value” to include the dual-currency framework commonly used by sweeps operators. treating it as a form of online gambling.
Looking at the exact language, SB1589 changes the definition of “online casino games” to:
Any gambling game that allows a person to access the Internet, World Wide Web, or any part thereof by way of any computer, computer system, computer network, computer software, computer terminal, or similar device including, but not limited to, a cellular or mobile telephone, a smart or electronic watch, or a tablet which, upon risking any representatives of value, simulates any gambling game contemplated in this section or any other form of gambling …
Then, the changed definition of “representatives of value” is:
Any and all currency used as part of a dual-currency system of payment allowing a person to exchange such currency for any prize, award, cash, or cash equivalent, or any chance to win any prize, award, cash, or cash equivalent.
Like the Louisiana bill, this section of Oklahoma’s bill directly targets Sweeps Coins.
Oklahoma’s 2026 legislative session ends on May 29. So, again, like the Louisiana bill, there’s no huge urgency or rush here.
Subcommittee hearing in Tennessee with not lots of time left
Over in Tennessee, HB1885 was placed on the calendar for Wednesday’s meeting of the House Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee, which begins at 12:30 p.m. local time.
HB1885 stands out as one of the more thoughtfully constructed sweeps bans. What makes it different is the way it’s written. Rather than relying on the same terminology seen in similar efforts across other states, this proposal takes a more strategic approach.
Many previous bills have tried to curb sweepstakes casinos by targeting the now-familiar “dual-currency” or “multi-currency” systems. That language is clearly aimed at the standard setup involving Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, attempting to close off that workaround to traditional gambling laws.
However, those approaches overlook an important variation: Platforms that operate using only a single type of virtual currency. Recently, some operators — like Card Crush and ClubWPT Gold — have started shifting toward these single-currency models as a way to sidestep restrictions.
HB1885 is different.
It uses broader, more neutral wording, banning casino-style gaming that uses a “virtual-currency system.” This wording effectively encompasses any structure built around digital coins, regardless of whether there’s one currency or several, or what those currencies are called.
At the moment, this is the bill in Tennessee drawing the most focus. Its twin, Senate Bill 2136, hasn’t seen any movement since it cleared the Senate on March 3. Meanwhile, HB1885 did just pass through the House State & Local Government Committee on March 31, but it still has yet to make it through its own chamber of origin. And with Tennessee’s 2026 legislative session scheduled to wrap up on April 24, time isn’t exactly plentiful for this bill right now.
