Maryland is the latest state to strike back against sweepstakes casinos. The rising popularity of the unregulated market has drawn concern from lawmakers.
This isn’t the first time Maryland has gone head-to-head with sweepstakes casinos, however. Earlier this year, the state’s Lottery and Gaming Control Agency demanded a total block from 11 websites. According to reports, only six places, including Stake, took any action.
The Maryland bill, SB 860, brought forward by Paul Corderman, is simply to cement what the Control Agency set in motion. In brief, the General Assembly seeks to put a total end to sweepstake casino gambling.
The top line of the synopsis reads:
“Prohibiting a person from operating, conducting, or promoting online sweepstakes games or supporting the operation, conducting, or promotion of online sweepstakes games.”
If the bill is successful, it’ll come into effect on July 1, 2025. So far, the bill hasn’t been met with any resistance from the Assembly in any capacity. It is currently on its third iteration after passing its second reading.
What are sweepstakes casinos?
Sweepstakes casinos are online gambling with a few extra steps. Rather than explicitly using your own money to play the games, you purchase “gold coins”. These can be used to play the game without any prizes. What’s usually bundled into the gold coin purchase are “sweep coins”. These are what you use to play properly, with their price usually being a one-to-one with the US dollar.
Maryland follows New Jersey against sweepstakes casinos
Concerns have been raised over the sites’ lack of protection for those vulnerable to addiction. There’s no way to limit purchases on some of these websites either.
Maryland follows New Jersey, which this week also struck out against sweepstakes casinos. The state originally sought to regulate them but has now flipped and is seeking to ban them outright.
