Add two more brands to the list of sweepstakes casinos that have shut down operations in New Jersey.
Funzpoints, one of the most recognizable names in social and sweepstakes gaming, and Spree have both added New Jersey to their lists of excluded states in recent terms and condition updates. Maryland also joined the list of excluded states for Funzpoints.
On June 30, both the New Jersey Senate and Assembly passed Assembly Bill 5447, which bans sweepstakes casino sites. Gov. Phil Murphy has not yet acted on the bill. In New Jersey, the governor has 45 days to either sign or veto legislation. If no action is taken within that period, the bill automatically becomes law through a process known as pocket approval.
So, technically, AB5447 hasn’t fully passed yet.
But all expectations are that Murphy will either sign the bill or it will receive pocket approval, and a wide range of sweepstakes casinos are getting a head start on their New Jersey exits — now including Spree and Funzpoints.
Full platform shutdowns for Spree, Funzpoints
Spree’s departure from New Jersey is a full platform shutdown, meaning its social casino games also won’t be available in the state. The operator’s updated list of excluded states is:
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Washington
- West Virginia
Spree is owned by Play Spree Ltd., and it’s the company’s only sweeps casino.
Funzpoints players will also not be able to access its social games in addition to its sweeps games in New Jersey and Maryland.
Although it has not been publicly reported that Woopla Inc., the owner of Funzpoints, received a cease-and-desist letter in Maryland, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency has been among the most active entities in the country when it comes to sweeps cease-and-desists. It has reportedly sent cease-and-desist letters to Stake.us, McLuck, Rebet, Fortune Coins, Zula Casino, Golden Hearts Games, and High 5 Casino.
So it’s not far-fetched to think Funzpoints, theoretically, could have also received one.
Or, this is just Funzpoints reading the room and prioritizing regulatory compliance over continuing to operate in Maryland and risking the MLGCA, or worse, the Attorney General, targeting it for continuing to offer its sweepstakes product to residents. Maryland is one of the most commonly seen states on sweeps operators’ excluded lists, and its legislature considered a sweeps ban bill this session before it ran out of time.
Here is the updated list of excluded states for Funzpoints:
- Idaho
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Montana
- New Jersey
- New York
- Nevada
‘This act shall take effect immediately’
A key phrase has helped motivate the exodus of sweeps casinos from New Jersey, including Clubs Casino, Clubs Poker, and LuckySlots.us as well:
“This act shall take effect immediately.”
That’s the last sentence of AB 5447.
That means that online sweepstakes casinos will officially be illegal either:
- The day Murphy signs the bill.
- The 45th day after the legislature passed the bill (June 30) if Murphy doesn’t sign the bill and it gets pocket approval.
So that means sweeps operators have until Aug. 14 at the latest to pull their sweeps platforms out of New Jersey before it becomes illegal to offer such games.
Some sweeps casinos left NJ long ago
Several online sweepstakes casinos aren’t really affected by New Jersey’s imminent ban, as they left the state long ago.
Platforms such as Stake.us, High 5 Casino, and those run by B-Two Operations (including McLuck, Mega Bonanza, and Hello Millions) exited the New Jersey market well before AB 5447 was introduced.
In the case of Stake.us and High 5, their withdrawal was part of a broader strategy to cease operations in states where legal real-money online casinos are already available — including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia.
