A bill that would categorize dual-currency gaming at sweepstakes casinos as illegal online gambling in Oklahoma moved one step closer to getting passed Tuesday afternoon.
Senate Bill 1589 swiftly cleared the House Criminal Judiciary Committee via a 6-0 vote. Having already passed a full Senate vote back on March 3, SB1589 is now on the precipice of making Oklahoma the third jurisdiction to ban sweeps casinos during the 2026 legislative session, joining Indiana and Maine.
‘It does not impact games like Candy Crush’
Discussion on SB1589 opened the House Criminal Judiciary Committee’s proceedings on Tuesday, and the discussion lasted no longer than two minutes, featuring testimony only from Rep. Scott Fetgatter, one of the bill’s co-authors.
“Senate Bill 1589 (has) identical language to a bill that we passed in the first half of the session,” Fetgatter told committee members, referencing House Bill 4130, which did clear the House Criminal Judiciary Committee in February but then stalled and missed the March 26 crossover deadline.
“It’s a penalty of violation to Oklahoma sweepstakes law and expands in reach to include all entities that are making money off of illegal gambling. Oklahoma only has three limited exceptions for gambling: lottery, horse racing, and Class III tribal gaming. It does not impact games like Candy Crush or other entertainment games.”
That’s it. That’s all the testimony. After that, a vote was held, with all six committee members voting to pass the bill.
In terms of what comes next, that’s to be determined. There’s no exact rule of thumb, but bills in Oklahoma generally need to go through two committees in the House before they proceed to a full floor vote in that chamber. That means SB1589 would need to be approved by one more committee before a full House vote. Generally, a bill first goes through a subject matter or policy committee in the House — like the Criminal Judiciary Committee — and then more of an oversight, rules, or appropriations committee second.
The 2026 legislative session ends in Oklahoma on May 29, so SB1589 has ample time to get through all the necessary steps.
What SB1589 does
SB1589 ensures that any form of online gambling falls solely under tribal entities operating within the framework of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. As a result, companies that are not affiliated with tribes would be shut out from offering online gambling altogether.
And that’s where the meat of the bill comes into play, as it zeroes in on the gaming model sweeps casinos use. It broadens the concept of what counts as something of value in a gambling context to include the dual-currency system — which, in practice, is the system of Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, where Gold Coins can be purchased by have no real-world value and Sweeps Coins cannot be purchased by can be redeemed for money.
Specifically, SB1589 updates the meaning of “representatives of value” to explicitly include currencies used in dual-currency models, particularly when those currencies can be redeemed for prizes, cash, or anything comparable, or even used for a chance to win such rewards.
Close to joining Indiana and Maine
In Indiana, Gov. Mike Braun recently signed House Bill 1052 into law. That will make Sweeps Coin gameplay at sweeps casinos illegal in Indiana beginning July 1, 2026.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills also this week signed her state’s sweepstakes casinos ban Legislative Document 2007, into law. Bills in Maine take effect 90 days after the governor’s signature, meaning Sweeps Coin gameplay will also become illegal in Maine in early July.
A handful of operators have pre-emptively exited these states.
Carnival Citi, for example, pulled its platform out of both Indiana and Maine in March. Several other sweeps casinos have begun requesting their affiliate partners remove any of their promos for users from an Indiana location.
Where else are sweeps bans still on the table?
Other states have still-active bills that would ban sweeps gaming, as well.
In Iowa, Senate File 2289 is moving steadily forward. On April 1, it earned approval from a House Ways and Means Subcommittee, signaling it will likely advance through the full committee. The bill would empower the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to issue cease-and-desist orders against sweepstakes casino operators. Iowa’s legislative session is scheduled to conclude on April 21.
Louisiana is taking a more aggressive stance. If sweepstakes gaming is interpreted as online gambling, House Bill 53 would bring it under the umbrella of racketeering laws. The bill passed the House on March 30 and has since been referred to the Senate’s Judiciary C Committee. The state’s session runs until June 1.
Also in Louisiana, House Bill 883 would cement sweepstakes casinos’ illegality by including their dual-currency system of gaming in the category of illegal online gambling. HB883 has its first committee hearing Wednesday morning.
In Maryland, House Bill 1226 has already passed the House as of March 23 and had its first Senate hearing on March 31 before the Budget and Taxation Committee. But with the session ending April 13 and no committee vote yet, the delay could work in favor of sweeps operators.
Another Maryland bill, House Bill 295, was also heard by the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on April 1. Like HB1226, it has not yet been brought to a vote.
