Supporters of online sweepstakes casinos scored another win on Monday (May 5), as two proposed bills were pulled and set aside indefinitely in the Florida legislature.
The more sweepstakes-focused bill, S1404, was introduced by Senator Corey Simon. It had planned to ban online casino sweepstakes, internet casino gaming, and mobile sports betting that fall outside Florida’s agreement with Hard Rock. A revised version of the bill was brought forward, but it didn’t make it past the Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government.
Besides targeting what was seen as competing platforms, the bill was also thought to potentially pave the way for Hard Rock to roll out iGaming in Florida.
Similarly, Representative John Snyder’s broad bill, H1467, made it through the House and was sent to the Senate Rules Committee on April 28, but with time running out in the session, it never got a hearing during the final week.
The bill covered a lot of ground, including toughening penalties for running or promoting illegal gambling, even making some offenses felonies, and also proposed officially legalizing and regulating daily fantasy sports.
Friday marked the official end of Florida’s 2025 regular legislative session. However, lawmakers passed a Concurrent Resolution to come back on May 12 and extend the session until June 6 so they can wrap up the still-pending state budget. That said, the extended session will only cover a short list of topics, which does not include gambling.
Florida Becomes the Fourth State to Reject Anti-Business, Anti-Consumer Bills Criminalizing Sweepstakes Promotions pic.twitter.com/WCLsB22LQB
— theSPGA (@theSPGA) May 5, 2025
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) said: “The defeat of these bills continues a clear national trend…In the past few weeks, similar bills have been rejected in Arkansas, Maryland, and Mississippi.
“Lawmakers across the country are rejecting these anti-innovation, anti-business efforts that attempt to dictate what games American adults can play on their phones.”
Hard Rock’s plan to challenge sweepstakes in Florida
Hard Rock’s betting arm struck a 30-year deal with the state of Florida back in 2021, a pact reportedly worth about $500 million a year.
Thanks to that agreement, Hard Rock was able to expand its casino offerings to include Class III games and launch mobile sports betting, which has been available since December 2023.
All of this happened only after the deal cleared some major legal challenges at both the state and federal level.
Featured image: Canva
