On Thursday, March 12, 2026, Indiana Governor Mike Braun (R) signed laws that may ban on-line sweepstakes casinos from the state. The anti-sweepstakes provisions of HB 1052, which was handed by the legislature in late February, will take impact July 1.
What Does HB1052 Do?
The title of HB1052 is “Numerous administrative legislation issues,” and as could be anticipated, this invoice offers with a wide range of distinct subjects. This doc incorporates provisions associated to horse racing licensure, guidelines for beer wholesalers, wine permits, tobacco sellers, and vintage firearms. The part coping with sweepstakes casinos is simply a small portion of the 42-page textual content.
The portion involved with sweepstakes is present in Part 15 of the invoice. HB1052 defines a “sweepstakes recreation” as one which has these 4 attributes:
(a) As used on this part, “sweepstakes recreation” means a recreation, contest, or promotion that: (1) is obtainable on the Web; (2) is accessible on a cell phone, laptop terminal, or comparable entry machine; (3) makes use of a dual-currency or multi-currency system of cost permitting a participant to alternate foreign money for: (A) a money prize, a money award, or money equivalents; or (B) an opportunity to win a money prize, a money award, or money equivalents; and (4) simulates: (A) lottery video games; or (B) casino-style gaming, together with slot machines, video poker, desk video games, bingo, or sports activities wagering.
This definition seems broad sufficient to focus on the businesses, like Chumba On line casino and Stake.us, that supply sweepstakes on line casino video games over the web. Discover the point out of dual-currency and multi-currency methods, that are key to the way in which trendy on-line sweeps casinos function with one foreign money for play cash solely and one other that may be exchanged (after leaping by way of a couple of hoops) for actual cash.
Enforcement is delegated to the Indiana Gaming Fee. It’ll have the ability to levy civil fines of $100,000 for people and companies that knowingly provide sweepstakes video games over the web. This superb could be utilized at any time when an entity provides such video games in Indiana or to an individual situated inside Indiana.
The Indiana Gaming Fee has beforehand expressed curiosity in becoming a member of the wave of states which have despatched cease-and-desist letters to sweepstakes on line casino operators. Nevertheless, its hand was stayed by the opinion that such sweepstakes operations weren’t in contravention of Indiana legislation. Presumably, the passage of HB 1052 has eliminated this impediment to enforcement.
Indiana Governor Mike BraunLoophole for Poker
Maybe surprisingly, HB 1052 incorporates a loophole for poker. From the textual content of the invoice:
Nevertheless, the time period [sweepstakes game] doesn’t embody a recreation, contest, or promotion provided by the state lottery fee or peer to look skill-based poker video games.
So does this imply that we’ll see sweepstakes poker proceed to flourish in The Hoosier State? Nicely, perhaps.
Whereas it’s true that the letter of the legislation implies that sweepstakes poker video games are superb and will not be focused by state authorities, the reality is that the majority websites that supply sweepstakes poker, like World Poker and Golf equipment Poker, additionally present sweepstakes on line casino gaming on the identical time.
If these operators need to have the ability to proceed to serve Indianans with sweepstakes poker merchandise, then they must take away all on line casino video games from their choices. Keep in mind too that on line casino video games are likely to symbolize a higher-margin vertical than peer-to-peer poker.
It is possible that many sweeps operators will resolve that making a bespoke software program shopper for Indiana to serve up solely low-profit poker video games won’t be of their monetary greatest pursuits. A few of them, at the least, will in all probability take the choice to cease serving the state altogether.
Continuation of a Pattern
Indiana is the primary state to go anti-sweepstakes laws within the yr 2026. Nevertheless, there are six states that enacted comparable measures in earlier years:
First deployed by Chumba On line casino in 2012, the web sweepstakes mannequin of gaming was touted as a approach of circumventing anti-gambling legal guidelines in all 50 states. Nevertheless, this loophole is slowly closing as one state after one other drafts legal guidelines that particularly goal this enterprise mannequin. In a couple of different states, courts have dominated that sweepstakes gaming runs afoul of present state legal guidelines even with out laws particularly addressing it.
Legislative Historical past of HB 1052
HB 1052 was launched into the Indiana Home by State Consultant Ethan Manning (R) on Dec. 12, 2025. After going by way of a committee listening to and a few amendments, it was prepared for third studying on Feb. 2, which it handed with a vote of 86 – 12.
Indiana State Consultant Ethan ManningThe invoice then went over to the Senate the place it equally went to committee and was amended. Importantly, the Senate added the carveout for peer to look poker, which was not current within the authentic wording of the invoice. The Senate model of the invoice handed its third studying by 37 – 8 on Feb. 17.
As a result of there have been variations between the Home and Senate variations of the laws, it needed to proceed to a convention committee. Each chambers accredited on the reconciled invoice (Senate: 46 – 4, Home: 68 – 21) on Feb. 26.
After a few procedural steps, the finalized invoice was despatched onward to Governor Braun. He affixed his signature to it on Thursday, March 12, 2026.
Invoice Not With out Controversy
Whereas the ultimate vote margins within the legislature may give the impression that passage of HB 1052 was however a foregone conclusion, this wasn’t really the case. The truth that the invoice succeeded in being handed is a testomony to flexibility and willingness to compromise on the a part of lawmakers.
Earlier drafts of the invoice had encountered important opposition. State Consultant Steve Bartels (R), as an example, launched an modification to control sweepstakes casinos quite than ban them. He commented:
Finally what this does is say we’re not going to ban it. We’re going to begin regulating it. It nonetheless can keep within the sweepstakes statute. We will begin creating wealth off it. We will begin defending residents. We will do the age verification. We will ensure that they’re not promoting incorrectly or making an attempt to focus on youngsters or individuals below 21.
Rep. Manning, nevertheless, felt that it might be inappropriate to control on-line sweepstakes gaming:
In gentle of the truth that this physique has not regulated iGaming for our already regulated casinos, I feel this is able to be out of order to control such a conduct after we’ve not legalized iGaming for our already regulated casinos.
Regardless of the tales had been behind the scenes, when it got here to remaining votes, invoice HB 1052 had important assist and handed simply.
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March 15, 2026 – by Max Golden, Editor-in-Chief
