{"id":9359,"date":"2025-06-27T00:29:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T00:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slategray-wallaby-310340.hostingersite.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/27\/tribes-back-bill-to-shut-down-social-casinos-in-california\/"},"modified":"2025-06-27T00:29:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T00:29:00","slug":"tribes-back-bill-to-shut-down-social-casinos-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/27\/tribes-back-bill-to-shut-down-social-casinos-in-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribes Back Bill to Shut Down Social Casinos in California"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>California tribes are uniting around a sweeping new bill that targets online sweepstakes operators, and tribal leaders say momentum is finally on their side. AB 831, <a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/casino-news\/new-bill-could-end-sweepstakes-gaming-in-california\/\">introduced<\/a> last week, aims to shut down dual-currency sweepstakes platforms and social casinos, a category that has long operated in a gray zone outside state regulation. Tribal gaming groups believe the legislation has a real shot at passing before the end of the current session.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><em><strong>Good to know<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>AB 831 targets dual-currency online sweepstakes and social casinos.<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>Tribal leaders call the bill their top legislative priority in California.<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong>The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance strongly opposes the measure.<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<p>Tribal leaders say the time for compromise is over. <em>\u201cThis legislation is take no prisoners,\u201d<\/em> said Jason Giles, Executive Director of the Indian Gaming Association. Speaking on Victor Rocha\u2019s The New Normal webcast, Chairman James Siva of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association echoed that urgency.<em> \u201cI think we can get it done this session,\u201d<\/em> he said. i<\/p>\n<p>Siva and other tribal voices argue that these unregulated platforms, which simulate real gambling, are draining revenue from tribal casinos\u2014without creating jobs, paying taxes, or operating under any oversight. Rocha put it bluntly: <em>\u201cThey\u2019ve taken billions and billions from California.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Lawmakers and Tribes Take Aim at Loopholes While Trade Groups Push Back<\/h2>\n<p>AB 831 would formally outlaw any business operating sweepstakes-style games that mimic gambling or use game mechanics that ultimately award prizes of cash or cash-equivalents. The bill also seeks to clarify the legal status of these platforms in California, which has no regulated <a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/casino\/what-is-igaming\/\">iGaming<\/a> market and has seen lawsuits from consumers go nowhere due to the murky rules.<\/p>\n<div class=\"main-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-items box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"box-100 space-org-3-item relative border-tb mt-1 \">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-logo-title-box box-100 text-left relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-box box-25 relative img-radius\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/mirax-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t<amp-img alt=\"Mirax Casino\" src=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Mirax-Casino.png.webp\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" layout=\"fixed\"><br \/>\n\t\t<\/amp-img><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-title box-25 relative py-10\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/mirax-casino\/\" title=\"Mirax Casino\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Mirax Casino<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t<strong>350% or 5BTC + <strong>150 Spins!<\/strong><\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"pt-1\">New players only. Exclusive Welcome Bonus of 350% + 150 Free Spins\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating box-25 relative mb-10\">\n<div class=\"rating-box text-center box-100  relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating-box relative\">\n<div class=\"stars\"><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-rating-notice relative\">Casino<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/mirax-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\tVisit Site<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>\u201cWe have to go after the whole model,\u201d<\/em> Siva said.<em> \u201cIf we only shut down one company at a time, they just come back under a different name.\u201d<\/em> He warned that the tribes could lose their grip on the industry they helped build if action is not taken soon.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Hoenig, representing the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, said the ideal outcome is clear:<em> \u201cI hope that the result of this bill being passed is they just pull up stakes and leave California.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Supporters point to other states\u2014like New York\u2014where strong legal pressure led some major sweepstakes platforms to exit voluntarily, even before bans were officially passed.<\/p>\n<p>Still, opposition is growing. The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA), led by former Congressman Jeff Duncan, warned that AB 831 could end up pushing players toward unregulated black-market operators. Duncan also raised concerns about potential impacts on widely accepted promotional campaigns like those used by McDonald\u2019s or Reader\u2019s Digest.<\/p>\n<div class=\"main-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-items box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"box-100 space-org-3-item relative border-tb mt-1 \">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-logo-title-box box-100 text-left relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-box box-25 relative img-radius\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/mirax-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t<amp-img alt=\"Mirax Casino\" src=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Mirax-Casino.png.webp\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" layout=\"fixed\"><br \/>\n\t\t<\/amp-img><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-title box-25 relative py-10\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/mirax-casino\/\" title=\"Mirax Casino\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Mirax Casino<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t<strong>350% or 5BTC + <strong>150 Spins!<\/strong><\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"pt-1\">New players only. Exclusive Welcome Bonus of 350% + 150 Free Spins\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating box-25 relative mb-10\">\n<div class=\"rating-box text-center box-100  relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating-box relative\">\n<div class=\"stars\"><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-rating-notice relative\">Casino<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/mirax-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\tVisit Site<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) went further, calling the bill a \u201cbackroom ban\u201d pushed through without debate. <em>\u201cThis isn\u2019t how sound policy gets made,\u201d<\/em> said an SPGA spokesperson.<em> \u201cA last-minute effort to outlaw legal digital games, without public debate, expert input, or economic analysis, sends a chilling message to entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors across the state.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The fight is not limited to California. The SPGA also raised concerns about Senate Bill S5935A in New York, urging Governor Kathy Hochul to veto the measure. The bill would give state regulators broad power to penalize developers and investors tied to games that offer prize money or equivalents, sparking fears across the gaming startup world.<\/p>\n<p>As AB 831 advances, California now stands on the edge of a showdown that could reshape the future of online gaming across the state\u2014and possibly far beyond.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/casino-news\/tribes-back-bill-to-shut-down-social-casinos-in-california\/\">Tribes Back Bill to Shut Down Social Casinos in California<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/\">iGaming.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>California tribes are uniting around a sweeping new bill that targets online sweepstakes operators, and tribal leaders say momentum is finally on their side. AB 831, introduced last week, aims to shut down dual-currency sweepstakes platforms and social casinos, a category that has long operated in a gray zone outside state regulation. Tribal gaming groups [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":6}},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9359\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}