In a statement to Sweepsy, the Illinois Gaming Board said sweepstakes casinos “are not welcome” in the state.
“The Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) works to maintain the integrity and safety of Illinois gambling,” a spokesperson wrote in an email to Sweepsy. “Unlicensed sweepstakes operators and other forms of illegal gambling are not welcome in Illinois.
“The IGB will continue to evaluate all available regulatory and law enforcement tools to respond to illegal gambling and protect Illinois patrons.”
Sweepsy contacted the IGB for comment in regard to recent activity in Illinois suggesting there may be legal or regulatory pressure mounting on sweeps operators in the state.
What’s going on in Illinois?
Last week, Tora Tora Casino notified its Illinois users that it will shut down in the state on Jan. 10, citing state regulations.
Meanwhile, Evolution — the popular gaming vendor behind many titles seen at sweepstakes casinos — appears to have quietly pulled its games from Illinois. Sweepsy learned Evolution removed access to its games at Spinquest Casino for Illinois users on Jan. 1. We also learned Modo.us players are having the same type of blocked access in Illinois.
There are currently no active Illinois bills banning sweepstakes gaming with Sweeps Coins. So the exit from Evolution, and in a smaller way the exit of Tora Tora Casino as well, points to potential action.
Last week, industry chatter suggested either a new sweeps ban bill was on the way or state regulators, spearheaded by Attorney General Kwame Raoul, may be quietly pressuring operators, possibly through cease-and-desist letters.
Sweepsy reached out to Raoul’s office for comment.
It, in turn, directed us to the IGB for comment.
And that’s how we received the statement from IGB.
In addition, during Tuesday’s hearing for Indiana House Bill 1052, which would ban sweeps casinos among other things, Nate Friend, Chairman of the Indiana State Gaming Commission, singled out Illinois as part of a group of states he said are “tackling this issue during the 2025-2026 legislative session.”
The other states tackling the issue, Friend claimed: Maine, Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, and Massachusetts.
What statement from Illinois regulator means
This is what Sweepsy asked the IGB:
Have any cease-and-desists been sent to sweeps operators in Illinois? Or are you putting pressure on sweeps sites in any other way?
The IGB’s response neither confirms nor denies that any cease-and-desists have been issued. But it does firmly communicate the Illinois gaming regulator’s stance on Sweeps Coin gameplay at sweepstakes casinos: We don’t want it in Illinois, and we’re trying to remove it or evaluating our options for removing it.
Action brewing in other states, too
Earlier this week, Florida Attorney General Justin Uthmeier told Florida Politics he had issued subpoenas to several “sweepstakes-style gaming apps” — but, in a twist, he also wants to meet with the companies behind sweeps casinos to “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.”
So we’ll see if anything develops there. Uthmeier said he wanted to conduct these meetings in early 2026.
In terms of other regulatory action, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti last week announced he had successfully shut down nearly 40 sweeps operators in the state thanks to cease-and-desist letters.
Meanwhile, on the legislative front, a Florida lawmaker has pre-filed a bill that contains large-scale changes to the state’s gambling laws — including language that’s widely considered to outlaw Sweeps Coin gameplay at sweepstakes casinos.
Elsewhere, Indiana’s bill banning sweeps gaming had its first congressional hearing on Tuesday. In another twist, one committee member suggested regulating sweepstakes casinos instead of banning them.
“We can start making money off it,” Rep. Steve Bartels of Indiana’s House Public Policy Committee said during Tuesday’s hearing. “We can start protecting citizens. We can do the age verification. We can make sure that they’re not advertising incorrectly or trying to target kids or people under 21.”
No action was taken on Indiana’s bill, House Bill 1052, on Tuesday.
Maine is also considering its own sweeps ban, Legislative Document 2007, and it has its first hearing on Jan. 14 with the Joint Veterans And Legal Affairs Committee.
Over in Massachusetts, House Bill 4431 — which would both legalize real-money online casinos and ban sweepstakes casinos — is expected to fail largely due to staunch opposition to online gambling expansion from major power brokers in the state, including Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and, to a lesser degree, Gov. Maura Healey.
Still, HB4431 still has a shot, as its reporting deadline (when the committee it currently sits with must decide whether to advance or hold the bill) was extended to mid-March. However, even if a bill isn’t passed in Massachusetts, it wouldn’t be totally unexpected to see regulatory pressure show itself in 2026, as Jordan Maynard, chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, had this to say about sweeps casinos and other operators he deems illegal and unlicensed entities at last month’s National Council of Legislators from Gaming States Winter Meeting:
“If you come up here and ‘F’ around, you’re going to find out.”
