NORTH AMERICA
AGA action
Since 2017 , sweepstakes casinos have had freedom to operate almost everywhere . However , the American Gaming Association ( AGA ) isn ’ t happy about this . In a recent statement , the AGA accused sweeps casinos of evading gambling laws , not paying taxes and failing to provide players with self-exclusion options : “ The lack of regulatory oversight presents many risks for consumers as well as the integrity and economic benefits of the legal gaming market through investment and tax contributions .”
Because the AGA has made a huge statement like this , it could potentially lead to some states in the US reevaluating sweepstakes casinos and introducing new laws . This would be an industry gamechanger , as sweeps casinos would no longer have an advantage over traditional casinos and would have to abide by similar rules and regulations .
Future impact in the US
The next 10 years are going to be extremely interesting for igaming in the US . At the moment , there ’ s a transition taking place , as more people than ever are switching from traditional online casinos to sweepstakes casinos . This makes a lot of sense , as people love the social element of sweepstakes casinos , along with the fact that they also have free-to-play games .
However , following the AGA ’ s recent statement , big changes to state laws in the future could mean that water is poured on the ‘ sweepstakes party ’, leading to a much more level playing field in the industry . One thing for sure , though , is that sweepstakes casinos are here to stay — but they might lose some of their power if individual states decide to take action .
States are still reluctant to legalise igaming despite the growing uptake of regulated sports betting . With the barrier to entry still so high for states where online casinos are available , it ’ s easy to see why operators are going down the cheaper and far less hassle route of launching a sweepstake site .
Gen Z and millennial players are passionate about social gaming and don ’ t care as much about realmoney gambling , so sweepstakes sites tick all the right boxes for them
ABOUT ME
Alex Windsor is the CMO of GameTime Digital , a multichannel igaming affiliate with a primary focus on the regulated US sports betting and casino market . He has been involved in the industry for over 12 years .
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