Mississippi lawmakers are renewing efforts to crack down on unauthorized gambling, with online sweepstakes casino-style games in focus.
Senators Joey Fillingane and David Blount have introduced SB 2104, which seeks to revise the state’s definition of illegal gaming devices to include online sweepstakes games.
The legislation would ban such platforms and increase penalties for offering or promoting them. If signed into law, the bill would take effect on July 1, 2026, making Mississippi the latest state to outlaw online sweepstakes gaming.
This is not the first time Mississippi legislators have tried to ban online sweepstakes gaming. In February 2025, the state Senate approved a similar bill authored by Fillingane and Blount, in collaboration with the Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) and licensed brick-and-mortar casinos.
However, that effort stalled after the House added a provision legalizing online sports betting, which ultimately derailed the legislation in conference.
SB 2104, like its 2025 predecessor, targets online sweepstakes casinos without providing a precise definition of the platforms. Other states’ laws have sometimes specified dual-currency models that allow players to win cash or other prizes, but Mississippi’s proposal does not.
In prior Senate sessions, Fillingane grouped online sweepstakes platforms with offshore unlicensed casinos, naming sites such as VGW’s Chumba Casino, Bovada, and BetUS. The move drew criticism from sweeps operators, who argued it was an unfair characterization.
Following the 2025 bill’s failure, the MGC issued cease-and-desist orders to several operators, including those named above. VGW subsequently ended Sweeps Coin play in Mississippi in summer 2025.
Under SB 2104, operating an online platform that facilitates illegal wagering—including sweepstakes casinos—would be a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $100,000. Promoting such platforms would carry the same penalties.
Mississippi’s renewed push comes amid a growing national focus on online sweepstakes. In 2025, roughly six states passed legislation banning or restricting the vertical, while several others took more limited enforcement actions.
So far in 2026, lawmakers in Indiana, Maine, Florida, and Virginia have introduced bills targeting online sweepstakes, ranging from outright prohibition to regulating the industry.
Indiana legislators debated a sweeps ban during a committee hearing last week, while Maine will hold an initial committee session on Jan. 14. Florida’s proposed legislation criminalizes various forms of unregulated online gaming, and Virginia’s bill would make sweepstakes illegal without a license if online casinos are authorized.
SB 2104 has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Division B Committee, which is chaired by Fillingane.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/01/13/117101-mississippi-lawmakers-target-online-sweepstakes-gaming-in-new-bill
