San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Darwin has granted a preliminary injunction to California cardrooms, blocking the state from applying restrictions on...
Sweepstake casinos officially banned in California
California has officially banned online sweepstake casinos after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 831 into law.
The new rules make it illegal to run, promote, or support sweepstake casinos online. That includes payment providers, game suppliers, affiliates, and platform operators.
The California Nations Indian Gaming Association backed the bill saying that the sweepstake casinos were violating the tribal gaming rights in the state. Meanwhile, the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance was against the idea and warned that the ban would cause the loss of more than $1 billion in economic activity.
With this move, California joins Connecticut, Montana, Nevada, and New Jersey in outlawing online sweepstake gaming.
The ban on sweepstake casinos isn’t the only major development in California’s iGaming market. In a separate case, a state Superior Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by tribal gaming operators, who argued that card rooms offering house-banked table games violated their exclusive gaming rights. The state Indian Gaming Association has already announced plans to appeal.
Although California law gives tribes exclusivity over certain types of gaming, they’ve long claimed that card rooms have been allowed to run games that infringe on those rights. The lawsuit came after SB 549 passed, granting tribes the legal standing to take the issue to court.
After California approved restrictions on cardroom games on February 6, 2026, the California Gaming Association (CGA), the California Cardroom Alliance, and Communities for...
