The Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) has released an official statement pertaining to bill A5196 introduced in New Jersey that would regulate sweepstakes casinos in a similar way as iGaming platforms.
SPGA Expresses Support For Bill A5196 In New Jersey
According to bill A5196, the purpose is to regulate sweepstakes casinos, supplement chapter 12 of Title 5 of the Revised Statutes, and amend various parts of the statutory law.
This bill was introduced by Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese and would require sweepstakes casinos to fall under the same regulation, licensure, oversight, and taxation as iGaming framework.
“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,” the SPGA said.
“The bill aligns with our core objective of reinforcing the well-established legality and legitimacy of social sweepstakes games, which millions of American adults enjoy.”
SPGA Promotes Interests Of The Gaming Industry, Its Players
Furthermore, the SPGA is an association of social and promotional gaming platforms that operate inside the United States. The SPGA presents a unified voice for the integrity and responsibility of its members’ offerings.
The Association aims to promote best practices, ensure compliance with regulations, and advocate for the interests of the gaming industry and its players. It was formed to protect players, promote responsible innovation, and advocate for clear regulations.
A5196 describes free currency as “tokens or coins of a 38 physical or virtual nature that are used in a sweepstakes casino to play a game, which cannot be redeemed for cash, prizes, or other things of value on their own, and which may be purchased but has no intrinsic value apart from its use for specified games or in specified applications.”
New Code Of Conduct Was Implemented Last Year
In December 2024, the SPGA implemented a new Code of Conduct, designed to spotlight the processes and technologies already in place at both SPGA member sites and the majority of social casinos offering promotional sweepstakes.
“The pillars of the SPGA Code of Conduct highlight the technology and processes already in place at most social sweeps operators to ensure that the millions of adults who enjoy these games do so in a safe and reliable environment,” SPGA Spokesperson Camilla Wright said at the time of announcement.
“The standards of the Code of Conduct go above and beyond the accepted best practices for traditional social casinos.”
In addition, the introduction of the sweepstakes bill in New Jersey also follows a recent hot topic in North Carolina regarding the use of video sweepstakes machines.
In a 2-1 majority decision, the North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled against a challenge from No Limit Games, declaring that its machines were “comparable to those North Carolina courts have determined to be illegal in previous sweepstakes disputes.”