Two of the remaining 2026 bills that would ban sweepstakes casinos have crucial hearings on the schedule.
In Louisiana, House Bill 883 has its first Senate committee hearing before the Senate Committee on Judiciary B at 10:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
Then, in Washington, DC, Council Bill 26-0656 has a public hearing — where citizens will be able to weigh in, if they so choose — at 1 p.m. on May 4.
‘A practical, data-informed approach’ in DC?
With CB26-0656, Washington, DC is jumping into the online gambling debate by trying to do two things at once: legalize real-money online casinos and shut down sweepstakes casinos.
The proposal, introduced by Councilmember Wendell Felder, is called the Internet Gaming and Consumer Protection Act of 2026. His main argument is pretty straightforward — people in DC are already gambling online via offshore sites, so the city might as well regulate it, protect consumers, and collect tax revenue instead of letting unregulated operators take the money.
Under the bill, online casino operators would pay a 25% tax on revenue, plus a hefty $2 million upfront license fee (good for five years). Renewals would cost $500,000. The DC Office of Lottery and Gaming would oversee everything, and players would need to be 21 or older.
But the bigger headline for us is the crackdown on sweepstakes casinos. The bill takes direct aim at “dual-currency” systems — Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. It also goes further, calling out subscription-based models as illegal too, putting platforms like Thrillaroo in question, too.
Enforcement could be serious, because the DC Attorney General would have the power to sue operators and potentially seize profits earned in the market.
“This bill reflects a practical, data-informed approach to strengthening consumer protections, modernizing our gaming framework, and capturing revenue that is currently flowing outside of the District’s oversight,” Felder wrote in a letter introducing his bill.
The Council of the District of Columbia operates year-round, so there’s no real pressing deadline to keep an eye on for CB26-0656.
All other bills that would legalize iGaming and ban sweeps casinos (in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Virginia) have failed to pass in 2026.
2 bills working in tandem in Louisiana
HB883 is one of two bills targeting sweepstakes casinos in Louisiana. It outlaws the “dual-currency system” of gaming rather than directly banning sweepstakes casinos by name.
Any online game, contest, or promotional platform that uses two separate forms of currency could fall under the ban if either currency can be exchanged for cash, prizes, or anything of monetary value. Sweeps Coins can be redeemed for cash and prizes of monetary value.
If enacted, HB883 would also reinforce the stance already taken by Louisiana officials, including Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, both of whom have indicated that these dual-currency setups already violate state gambling law.
Perhaps more importantly, HB883 would officially classify sweepstakes gaming as gambling by computer in Louisiana state law. And the other sweeps bill currently on the table, House Bill 53, would make gambling by computer a crime under Louisiana’s racketeering law — upping the ante on enforcement against sweeps operators in the state. (HB53 is on the verge of passing.)
