Why Florida?
As of Dec. 1, 2025, no state has regulated sweepstakes casinos. Not only that, but the theme across many states, like New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Montana, and more, is to either ban them legislatively or to have their appropriate governing bodies come down hard on them.
However, in Florida, sweepstakes casinos are operating, and there hasn't been any meaningful talk of banning them yet, aside from a bill introduced earlier this year that went nowhere.
The state has 23 million people as of 2024, only behind California and Texas, so for the SGLA, if they can get the state to regulate sweepstakes casinos, that would be a massive win.
The group recently commissioned a report from Eilers & Krejcik that estimated Florida accounts for about 8.5% of the sweepstakes market, or about $1.04 billion out of $12.5 billion.
The report also mentioned a potential licensing fee of $270,000 and a 6% sales tax. That would bring in about $62.7 million annually.
Eilers & Krejcik also prepared a report for the SGLA in California, but it had minimal impact, if any at all.
Potential Pitfalls in Florida
Florida and California are similar in that both have deals with Native American tribes that operate land-based venues.
In Florida, it's the Seminole Tribe that owns land-based casinos and also the online sports betting platform Hard Rock Bet. However, there's no online casino play.
There was a bill introduced earlier this year, SB 1404, that sought to eliminate non-tribal casino platforms, like sweepstakes casinos, but it didn't go anywhere.
Additionally, Daniel Wallach, a gaming lawyer, had this to say about sweepstakes casinos in Florida:
“The Florida Constitution ensures that Florida voters (and only Florida voters) can decide whether to allow casino gambling in the State. This constitutional right is exclusive to Florida voters and ensures that casino gambling in Florida (outside of tribal lands) can only be approved by a citizens’ initiative (i.e., a statewide voter referendum).”
So, in essence, the SGLA has its work cut out for itself in Florida. Of course, the SGLA needs to do what it can with a market as large as Florida.
We'll see what comes of this: Could the SGLA's approach of getting out ahead of it before meaningful legislation be a big win for sweepstakes casinos, or will it be all for not?
