Update: A second bill was introduced on May 20th, legalizing iGaming while banning sweepstakes.
We were due for a change of pace, right?
The recently filed Ohio iGaming bill that would launch online casinos, online lottery, and online pari-mutuel horse race betting would have zero effect on online sweepstakes gaming sites. Instead, only brick-and-mortar retail facilities would see an impact.
A significant chunk of the online gaming-related bills this legislative session have targeted sweeps operators. Even a real-money online casino bill in New York would also ban sweeps gaming in the state as part of the legislation. And we’re keeping our eyes on a Texas bill that doesn’t explicitly name sweepstakes gaming but whose amended language to define “gambling device” is quite vague and could perhaps be interpreted to include sweeps casinos.
But nothing like that in Sen. Nathan Manning’s bill in Ohio.
Senate Bill 197 was referred to the Senate Select Committee on Gaming on May 14, and that’s where it currently sits. Ohio’s legislative session ends on Dec. 31, so even though this feels like a “late” bill, it’s actually still relatively early in the Ohio calendar.
What does Ohio online casino bill say about sweepstakes?
SB197 does use the word “sweepstakes” quite a bit — 104 times, to be exact,
However, it does so only in the context of “sweepstakes terminal devices” and “skill-based amusement machines.” The language relates in no way to online sweepstakes casinos.
And it doesn’t even change much of anything substantive with sweepstakes devices. The bill simply transfers authority of sweeps devices from the Attorney General’s Office to the Ohio Casino Control Commission, effective Jan. 1, 2027. SB197 makes the same governance transfer with charitable gaming in Ohio, too.
The bill does prevent an Ohio online lottery platform from “including facsimiles” of sweepstakes terminal devices.
Yes, internet cafes are still kind of a thing in Ohio
Sweepstakes terminal devices are gaming machines that you can find at internet cafes and game centers across the state. They’re still allowed to operate in Ohio — while other states around the country have banned them — because in 2014 state lawmakers passed a bill that put certain limits on sweepstakes terminal devices.
One: They couldn’t award cash or other prohibited prizes like tobacco or alcohol.
Two: They couldn’t award prizes worth more than $10 per play.
Three: They must register with the Attorney General’s Office. (Those registrations would still be valid if SB197 passes and authority is transferred to the Ohio Casino Control Commission, which would handle future registrations.)
They also may be subject to further restrictions or rules established by local jurisdictions.
It’s these machines and facilities that are affected by SB197, not the Chumba Casinos of the world.
