As time ticks down on the Connecticut legislative session, lawmakers have passed a sweepstakes casino ban.
Last month, the Connecticut Senate passed Senate 1235, which would ban third-party lottery courier services and online sweepstakes casino operators. The chamber passed it unanimously, 36-0. On Tuesday, the House also passed the bill, sending it on to Gov. Ned Lamont.
Connecticut’s session ends Wednesday. Connecticut is the fourth such state to see sweepstakes prohibitions pass both chambers.
It is just one of many bills in a flurry of action by state legislatures looking at the sweepstakes casino industry.
CT sweepstakes casino prohibition bill
SB 1235 would prohibit operating or promoting sweepstakes casinos and promotional devices. It also prohibits simulated online casino gambling and sports wagering.
The bill also makes illegal gambling activity a Class D felony, carrying fines up to $5,000 and up to five years in prison.
While much of the bill concerns prohibitions, it would also enable Gov. Ned Lamont to negotiate entry into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement and allow sports bettors to wager on in-state college teams during tournament play.
Prohibition bills sweep US
Multiple bills early on in the legislative session had momentum before fizzling out, including in Mississippi and Maryland. Bills in Florida and Arkansas also fell short of passage.
Last month, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the first prohibition bill into law. Both Nevada and Louisiana have legislation awaiting their governors’ signatures.
Conversations about sweepstakes prohibition are still ongoing in New Jersey. In New York, a Senate bill is awaiting action on the chamber floor, but time is winding down with the session ending June 12.
The New York action, however, might have been the catalyst for VGW to pull its operators out of the Empire State last month.
