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A bill that would ban online dual currency sweepstakes casinos in California was approved in a unanimous Senate Appropriations Committee vote on Aug. 29, setting up a vote by the full Senate in the coming weeks.
Assembly Bill 831 would make it illegal to operate, conduct, or offer most sweepstakes casinos in California. The bill is homing in on sweepstakes sites that allow players to purchase coins and potentially win cash and other prizes.
Lawmakers have until Sept. 12 to pass the legislation.
Support and opposition from tribes
Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, who authored the bill, said earlier this summer that sweeps in their current form exploit “No Purchase Necessary” disclaimers and sidestep California’s regulatory gaming framework.
“We cannot look the other way while these platforms exploit legal gray areas. These operations undermine the voter-approved framework that affirms tribal governments’ sovereign right to conduct gaming in California. AB 831 strengthens that framework and ensures gaming in California remains fair and accountable.”
Valencia has pointed out that AB 831 is co-sponsored by the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, and the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations, “reflecting strong support from across Indian Country.”
One California tribe has strongly voiced its opposition to the bill. The Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation of the Cortina Rancheria tribe recently partnered with VGW, owner and operator of Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots sweepstakes casinos. The tribe believes sweepstakes casino partnerships can benefit tribes like theirs that don’t have access to other tribal gaming opportunities.
The tribe said the bill “lacks unanimous support among California tribes.”
What happens next
Now that the bill is up for full Senate consideration, legislators have until Sept. 5 to amend the bill and one week after that to get the bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for consideration.
If passed by the Senate, the California Assembly would still have to pass the bill before it could be sent to the governor. Though the bill originated in the Assembly, the Senate’s changes to the bill language, making it more definitively positioned against sweepstakes casinos, necessitates an additional Assembly vote.
In the Assembly, AB 831 will be able to bypass the committee process and go directly to the full floor for a vote, provided lawmakers in that body agree to the changed language. Otherwise, a committee comprising members from both chambers would need to step in and reconcile language.
The Assembly passed the prior version of the bill on a unanimous 77-0 vote in May.
Provided legislators make the Sept. 12 cutoff date, Newsom would then have until Oct. 12 to sign it into law or veto it. Should it fail to become law this year, legislators could reintroduce it in the 2026 session.
