The Connecticut Senate’s General Law Committee unanimously passed Senate bill 1235 by a vote of 22-0 on Monday. The bill was filed with the Legislation Commissioner’s Office.
SB 1235 Would Ban Sweepstakes Gaming Operators, Prohibit Lottery Ticket Resales In Connecticut
According to the Connecticut General Assembly, the bill would ban sweepstakes gaming operators and prohibit lottery ticket resales and ticket courier services in the Constitution State.
A sweepstakes casino is an online gaming platform that operates under a legal framework in gray area. Sweeps offer players a chance to participate in online casino games and win prizes using a promotional sweepstakes model. Instead of real money, they use a virtual currency, usually Gold Coins (GC) and Sweeps Coins (SC).
SB 1235 modifies the Commissioner of Consumer Protection’s disciplinary authority concerning certain gaming licensees, requires vendor and affiliate licensees to provide books and records, prohibits certain advertising, and authorizes certain bets and wagers on boxing and mixed martial arts.
Additionally, SB 1235 states that “certain persons conducting sweepstakes or promotional drawings shall not allow or facilitate participation in certain real or simulated online casino gaming or sports wagering.”
Gaming Bill Would Make Operating An Illegal Gambling Business A Class D Felony
The bill also makes operating an illegal gambling business a Class D felony. Those crimes are punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
The General Law Committee also passed SB 1464, which would authorize online gaming operators to conduct multijurisdictional Internet gaming for peer-to-peer casino games, ensure proper compliance reporting and disclosure requirements, and establish maximum wagers for online sports betting.
Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, and New York are also on the verge of banning sweepstakes gaming. Michigan and Maryland regulators recently sent cease-and-desist letters to offshore casinos and social gaming companies as well.
The New York Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee unanimously passed S5935 last week. Fines of $10,000 to $100,000 per violation would be issued to offenders, and such violators would potentially lose their gaming license.