Sidepot Sweeps Casino To Exit Arizona

Fliff is a well-known sweepstakes sportsbook, and under its umbrella, there’s a sweepstakes casino, Sidepot. 

Now, Sidepot is leaving Arizona, bringing its list of excluded states to 17, along with Quebec. 

The list of excluded states is the following: 

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Idaho
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Mississippi
• Michigan
• Montana
• New Jersey
• New York
• Nevada
• Tennessee
• Washington
• West Virginia

Exit Comes After Fliff Received a Cease-and-Desist

While Sidepot itself didn’t receive a cease-and-desist notice from the Arizona Department of Gaming, Fliff did. 

Fliff was one of four sweepstakes platforms to receive such a notice, along with Pulsz, Thrillzz, and Betty Sweeps. 

After receiving the letters, these platforms left, including Thrillzz, which complied with the order immediately. 

While Sidepot is under the Fliff umbrella, their excluded states aren’t exactly the same, though. Fliff excluded players in Hawaii, Ohio, and Colorado, while Sidepot doesn’t. 

Revisiting the Arizona Department of Gaming’s Press Release

Back in January, the Arizona Department of Gaming released a statement regarding sweepstakes casinos. 

It started by saying the following: 

“The Arizona Department of Gaming (“ADG”) urges residents to exercise caution when engaging in online gaming activities, especially during Identity Theft Awareness Week, which serves as an important reminder to safeguard personal and financial information. With advertisements for online casinos and gaming platforms proliferating on social media, scammers are targeting unsuspecting individuals to steal personal information and financial assets. By staying vigilant and informed, Arizonans can better protect themselves from fraud and identity theft.

“Illegal online casinos and sweepstakes platforms present themselves as legitimate platforms, aiming to exploit players by offering illegitimate or illegal gaming services. However, many of these operations are not legal or regulated, leaving users vulnerable to fraud, identity theft, and other serious risks. Due to their unregulated nature, ADG is unable to resolve complaints and disputes arising from unregulated and illegal gaming sites, leaving victims with little to no chance of recovering lost funds. In light of these developments, the Arizona Department of Gaming urges residents to verify the legitimacy of any online gaming platform before engaging in play.”

Arizona doesn’t have specific anti-sweepstakes casino laws on the books, unlike Connecticut, New Jersey, or Montana. 

It also doesn’t have any legislation at the state level, similar to California or New York, which have passed anti-sweepstakes measures; however, the bills are currently on their respective governors' desks. 

We’ll see if this trend of sweepstakes casinos, such as Sidepot, Ruby Sweeps, Pulsz, and Stake.us, continues to leave the state.