New Jersey Lawmaker Introduces New Bill to Ban Sweepstakes Casinos

William Hickson's verse on "If at first, you don't succeed…" has apparently been taken to heart by New Jersey Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese, who is back with yet another take on sweepstakes operators in the Garden State. You may remember Mr. Calabrese from his much-discussed bill that would have allowed sweepstakes operators to be licensed and treated as regulated gaming entities. 

While his bill A5196, introduced at the end of January this year, died silently in the Assembly's Tourism and Arts Committee, he has wasted little time filing a new bill that would ban sweeps outright instead of offering a sort of backdoor legalization. 

While the bill is still apparently being flushed out and hasn't yet been read into the New Jersey House, it would include new penalties for Sweep-style casino operators and have them enforced not just by the Division of Consumer Affairs but also by the highly qualified Division of Gaming Enforcement.

Still, until the entire bill is presented, we don't yet know the definitions of sweepstake casinos, which have presented stumbling blocks for erstwhile regulators on more than one occasion. Nor are we entirely sure what has caused this sort of road to Damascus moment, which has seen the Assemblyman go from what many felt was a peace offering to the Sweeps industry and a legal way forward to yet another in a series of bills this year meant to oust Sweeps operators from their most significant markets.

This has caused a bit of whiplash over at the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA), a trade organization and lobbying group for several of the larger sweeps operators. Though VGW, the largest sweeps operator and the owner of Chumba, Luckyland, and several others, is not part of this trade group.

Just seven short weeks ago, they released a statement stating. "The SPGA welcomes Assemblyman Calabrese's bill. The SPGA and its members are advocates for clear regulations that enable transparent, innovative, and responsible social and promotional gaming experiences."

Their latest statement, however, had a slightly different tone. "The Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) firmly opposes Assembly Bill 5447, a reckless attempt to ban sweepstakes in New Jersey. This shortsighted legislation abandons the state's progressive stance on gaming, directly contradicting the regulatory framework championed by Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese earlier this year—one that would ensure oversight, licensing, and taxation, bringing sweepstakes in line with other regulated gaming entities."

In any case, there is little evidence that this bill has a greater chance of success than the last one. While the New Jersey legislature will meet through the end of the year, elections in November 2025 will likely impact exactly what type of bills will be brought to the main floor for discussion. It remains to be seen if there is more appetite for forcing out sweepstakes operators than there was for bringing them into the fold.