So far in March, several notable sweepstakes casinos have adjusted their offerings in different jurisdictions as the sweeps gaming market continues to constrict amid consistent external pressure from the likes of lawmakers, regulators, and Attorney General’s offices.
Carnival Citi has departed from Illinois, Indiana, and Maine.
Spin Saga has exited Illinois and Minnesota.
Moonspin is now out of Tennessee.
And Rolling Riches is no longer available in Illinois.
Carnival Citi leaves Illinois, Indiana, Maine
Carnival Citi’s departures from the three jurisdictions are full platform shutdowns, meaning Sweeps Coin gameplay and Gold Coin gameplay are now off the table in these states.
The Indiana exit makes total sense.
With Gov. Mike Braun signing Indiana House Bill 1052 earlier this month, Sweeps Coin gameplay at sweepstakes casinos will officially become a civil offense punishable by up to $100,000 in Indiana beginning on July 1.
We’ll see other sweeps operators shut down in Indiana, too, as lawmakers there have successfully added their state to the list of illegal sweeps markets.
The Illinois and Maine departures are, at the very least, a bit more intriguing.
Yes, the Illinois Gaming Board made headlines in February when it announced it had sent cease-and-desist letters to more than 60 sweeps casinos. But Carnival Citi didn’t receive one. It isn’t unheard of for platforms to exit a market with a healthy presence of cease-and-desists even if they didn’t get one; it’s a move stemming from an abundance of caution.
Still, enough operators in Carnival Citi’s shoes wouldn’t have left Illinois to make the decision noteworthy. Carnival Citi has long leaned toward a stricter compliance approach. Ahead of Gov. Gavin Newsom approving Assembly Bill 831, Carnival Citi was one of the first major sweepstakes casinos to pull out of California. That compliance-leaning approach shows in its restricted list that spans 28 states, covering more than half of the United States.
The Maine decision is the most intriguing. It likely stems from one of two things:
- In January, Maine officially cleared the path to legalize online casinos, which real-money iGaming platforms expected to launch there in early 2027.
- There is a sweeps ban bill, Legislative Document 2007, currently progressing through the Maine Legislature. It has already passed the Senate, and expectations are that it has a good chance to pass in the House as well. Perhaps, paired with the iGaming coming online in early 2027, the potential of this sweeps bill passing gave Carnival Citi enough reasons to cut their losses and leave Maine early.
Why Illinois and Minnesota for Spin Saga?
Like Carnival Citi, Spin Saga did not receive a cease-and-desist in Illinois. So, likely, the operator’s decision to shut down all types of gameplay in that state was out of caution and wanting to stay out of the legal crosshairs in Illinois.
Spin Saga also did not receive a cease-and-desist in Minnesota.
In November, Attorney General Keith Ellison announced he’d sent cease-and-desists to “VG LuckyLand” (likely referring to LuckyLand Slots and VGW, the owner of LuckyLand Slots, Chumba Casino, Global Poker, LuckyLand Casino, and United Slots), Zula Casino, and Fortune Coins.
So this move, too, was very likely precautionary. And it may prove to be a prudent move long term if the two sweeps ban bills introduced this month in Minnesota wind up passing.
Rolling Riches and Moonspin also make moves
We’re feeling like a broken record here, but once again, Rolling Riches, like Carnival Citi and Spin Saga, did not receive a cease-and-desist in Illinois yet still chose to pull out. Although, it should be noted Rolling Riches only closed off Sweeps Coin gameplay in Illinois, whereas Carnival Citi and Spin Saga shut all forms of gameplay down.
Meanwhile, Moonspin’s decision to exit Tennessee stems from the cease-and-desist letter it received from Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti in late 2025.
