The lone wolf is happy to have some help.
In a statement to Sweepsy, the Social and Promotional Games Association said it welcomes the formation of the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance, a new sweepstakes casinos advocacy group whose members include Australian sweeps behemoth VGW — the company behind Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker.
“We applaud any effort to advocate for consumers and protect the rights of millions of American adults to play the games they love,” an SPGA spokesperson told Sweepsy. “While the SPGA and SGLA serve different constituencies within the broader sweepstakes and social gaming landscape, we share common values: player protection, innovation, and responsible access to lawful games. We welcome the SLGA’s focus on advocating for smart, modern policy that reflects the realities of today’s entertainment environment.”
Since its debut in September, the SPGA has acted as the only notable group advocating the online sweepstakes gaming industry during what can only be described as an eventful 2025 — where now 12 states (with Ohio being the latest) have considered bills targeting sweepstakes casinos and others have issued operators cease-and-desist letters.
The SPGA has been a vocal opponent of any sweeps ban bills or legal actions directed against sweeps operators, and it’s been just as vocal of a celebrator for sweepstakes industry wins — such as when sweeps ban bills in Maryland, Arkansas, Florida, and Mississippi failed to pass.
17 companies represented across SPGA, SLGA
The member rosters differ across the SPGA and SLGA, with representation from most of the biggest names in online sweepstakes gaming.
“It’s common to have multiple organizations representing different companies from within the same industry,” an SGLA spokesperson told Sweepsy. “The SPGA has done a lot of good things for the industry. However, VGW and our other industry-leading partners formed the SGLA to give a fresh voice and add to the discourse surrounding online social gaming.”
SPGA members include:
- 10 Ten Gaming (Smiles Casino)
- Blazesoft (Fortune Coins, Zula Casino)
- Fliff (Fliff, Sidepot)
- FSG Digital (works with JefeBet)
- Gold Coin Group (Chanced)
- High 5 Entertainment (High 5 Casino)
- KHK Games (Clubs Casino, Clubs Poker)
- Kickr Games (Kickr Casino)
- Octacom (technology and services provider)
- Rolling Riches Casino
- Woopla Gaming (Funzpoints)
And, at least right now, the initial group of SLGA members consists of:
- VGW (Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, Global Poker)
- Yellow Social Interactive (Pulsz, Pulsz Bingo)
- B-Two Operations (McLuck, Hello Millions, Jackpota, Mega Bonanza)
- ARB Interactive (Modo Casino)
- Playstudios (myVEGAS, POP! Slots)
- Nuvei (payment processing company)
Between the two groups, much of the most significant sweeps branding is covered. Some notable omissions include:
- MW Services Limited (WOW Vegas)
- RealPlay Tech (Real Prize)
- Sunflower Limited (Crown Coins Casino)
- Sweepstakes Limited (Stake.us)
Differences between the two advocacy groups
There are inherent similarities between the two groups, but each may drive in their own lanes, too, so to speak.
While the majority of work from the SPGA has been on the public relations front, and the SGLA will no doubt do PR work as well (they’ve partnered with Washington D.C. firm Seven Letter), early industry rumblings suggest the SGLA may devote more of its energy to the lobbying component of advocacy.
The SGLA naming an Executive Director help spur those rumblings — especially considering who it is.
The SGLA tapped Jeff Duncan, a former South Carolina congressman who served in the state House from 2003 to 2011 and then the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2025.
Interestingly, he wasn’t involved much in gaming policies. In fact, if anything, his voting record erred slightly on the side of gambling restriction.
In South Carolina in 2005, Duncan voted for the Gambling Cruise Prohibition Act, which aimed to ban gambling on vessels that departed from and returned to South Carolina ports, specifically targeting so-called “cruise to nowhere” gambling trips. Then, as a U.S. Representative, in 2014 he opposed the Comprehensive Gambling Regulation Act, a bill designed to create a federal system for overseeing online gambling.
However, one of his more recent votes, in 2015, was in support of gambling. In 2015 he supported the State Gambling Autonomy Act, voting to allow individual states to regulate gambling within their own borders without federal involvement.
On is website, the SGLA also says: “Our advocacy does not extend to operators offering sports products or transacting in cryptocurrency.”
It’s unclear if “sports products” includes sports sweepstakes picks apps like Fliff, who is a member of the SPGA, or SportsMillions, which offers sweeps pick’em contests and is owned by SGLA member B-Two Operations.
Where to lobby first?
When it comes to that lobbying work, there are a few places to consider.
Of the 12 states to introduce bills targeting online sweeps, five are realistically in play.
In Louisiana, Senate Bill 181, having already passed the Senate, got unanimous clearance from a House committee on Wednesday and is headed toward the House floor with momentum. Louisiana’s legislative deadline is June 12.
Bills in New York, Nevada, Connecticut feel less likely to have success, as they still have several steps to complete and their deadlines (NY on June 12, NV on June 2, CT on June 4) are quickly approaching.
Then there’s Ohio, which just had a sweeps ban bill introduced on Tuesday. Ohio and New Jersey don’t end their legislative sessions until the end of the year, so there’s still plenty of time for progress — and perhaps some SGLA lobbying — to be done.
Texas could also be a state to watch, depending on how lawmakers interpret language in Senate Bill 517.
Collaboration? Perhaps
The SGLA said collaboration with the SPGA is on the table, but not necessarily a priority currently.
“We are open to potentially working with the SPGA to both advance shared priorities and develop industry consensus on major topics,” the SGLA spokesperson told Sweepsy, “but our core focus is on our partners, their players and key stakeholders.”
