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Mississippi legislation that effectively bans sweepstakes casinos is getting closer to reality.
What are sweepstakes casinos?
Unlike the traditional real money online casino where one opens their account with real money and receives payouts upon winning, sweepstakes casinos advertise real play. Individuals will then be encouraged to make purchases using virtual coins, which are later converted into cash.
Senate Bill 2510, which passed the chamber 44-1 in favour, would criminalise internet sweepstakes casinos as a felony, punishable by a $100,000 fine and up to a decade in prison.
Many of the dozens of sweepstakes casinos in existence today advertise heavily on television and other mediums, including throughout the state of Mississippi.
The House of Representatives still have to vote while the Governor’s Mansion wiill need to sign off as the final step to making a sweepstakes casino ban in Mississippi law.
Sweepstakes trade body the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA) told NEXT.io in response to the vote: “The SPGA is deeply disappointed by the Mississippi Senate’s decision to advance SB 2510, which unjustly targets sweepstakes and conflates a safe and legal form of entertainment with illegal operations.
“This bill not only misrepresents the nature of sweepstakes gaming — an established and consumer-friendly model — but also sets a troubling precedent by equating these operations with illicit gambling.”
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