It has been confirmed to Sweepsy that Florida Attorney General Jason Uthmeier has already met with, and is continuing to meet with, sweepstakes casino operators this year to hear their perspectives as the debate over whether to ban sweeps gaming continues nationwide.
The conversations so far were categorized to Sweepsy as generating legitimate and real engagement between Uthmeier and the sweeps operators. Uthmeier is also hosting discussions with daily fantasy sports platforms, as well.
The effects of those engaging conversations? That’s, of course, yet to be seen.
South Florida Reporter was the first to report these meetings were taking place.
A step in the right direction for sweeps operators
In early January, Florida Politics reported that Uthmeier had sent subpoenas to “sweepstakes-style gaming apps” but, in a twist on the recent wave of scrutiny on the sweepstakes gaming industry, Uthmeier also said he wanted to meet with sweeps operators in early 2026 in an effort to, as Florida Politics described it, “exchange information, allow the companies to present their cases and inform them of the strict guidelines by which they must abide to continue doing business in the state.”
Of course, Uthmeier also told the local outlet the following:
“We stand by the Compact with the Seminole Tribe. It’s been a huge success, and it’s a great way to ensure that Florida taxpayers are getting the benefit of a significant revenue share to the state, moving through an application and gaming apparatus that is highly regulated, safe and free from illicit activities.”
The Seminole Tribe is going to back legislation that outlaws any other entity offering online gaming in Florida. As the sole provider of online sports betting in Florida (via Hard Rock Bet) and as likely the would-be sole provider of iGaming in the state should that ever be legalized, the Seminole Tribe would logically be opposed to the proliferation of sweeps casinos — following the trend of other fellow iGaming operators.
Plus, later in the Florida Politics story, Jeremy Redfern, Uthmeier’s Deputy Chief of Staff, was quoted as saying this:
“Our office is working with the Florida Legislature to increase penalties and the Gaming Commission to take down illicit markets; 2026 will be a record year in the fight against illegal gambling and the other major crime it brings to our state.”
Put those two quotes together, and logically, you may have wondered how serious Uthmeier was about, one, meeting with sweeps providers and, two, actually hearing them out — especially considering most legislative and regulatory discussions regarding sweeps casinos have been heavily one-sided as the sweeps market has seen restriction after restriction forced upon it in 2025 and 2026.
But here we are. The conversations are happening, and they’re legitimate.
What’s going on with Florida’s bills?
On the legislative front, there are currently two active bills in Florida that contain potentially problematic language for sweeps casinos: House Bill 189 and House Bill 591. Both tackle a wide range of gambling-related topics.
HB591 hasn’t moved since introduction.
HB189, though, has already passed through two subcommittees and currently sits in the House Commerce Committee.
During its most recent hearing before the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee in January, the bill’s author, Rep. Dana Trabulsy, told lawmakers the main intent of the bill was to target “illegal slot machines and unregulated gaming arcades.”
However, among the many other gambling topics it covers is a key change to the definition of “internet gambling.”
Here’s what the new definition would be:
“Internet gambling” means to play or engage in any game in which money or other thing of value is awarded based on chance, regardless of any application of skill, that is available on the Internet and accessible on a mobile device, computer terminal, or other similar access device and simulates casino-style gaming, including, but not limited to, slot machines, video poker, and table games.
Whether HB189 would cause problems for sweeps casinos mainly depends on the interpretation of “other thing of value.”
Sweeps casinos run on a two-currency system. One side of that system is Gold Coins, which players can buy and use in games, but that’s it. They have no value and can’t be redeemed.
Then there are Sweeps Coins. Players can’t purchase those directly, but they can be redeemed for real money. And this currency, lawmakers in various states including California and New York have argued, creates a means for what essentially amounts to online gambling.
Sweeps operators, of course, see it differently. They’ve long argued that Sweeps Coin gameplay isn’t the same as iGaming because players never have to spend money to get Sweeps Coins in the first place. Instead, they can earn them for free through daily login bonuses, promos, or other alternative methods of entry (AMOE).
Potential effect of vague language
The language in Florida’s bill isn’t as crystal clear in its targeting of sweeps casinos as ban bills in other states like California in New York. That vagueness could help sweeps operators …
Or hurt them.
A lawyer might argue that Sweeps Coins don’t really fit under broad phrases like “other thing of value.” But that’s a risky bet. If a court decides that Sweeps Coins do count as an “other thing of value,” that ruling could give other states an easy precedent to go after sweeps casinos using similar language in their own gambling laws.
Still, Florida matters so much to the remaining sweeps casino market that operating in the state even under the new language of HB189, should it pass, might be a risk some operators are willing to take — assuming it ever comes to that.
For now, it’s a waiting game.
