Florida Cracks Down on Social Sweepstakes Casinos with New Lawsuits

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has announced two lawsuits against operators of social sweepstakes casinos, arguing that they breach state laws and must stop offering their products locally. The AG’s Office has taken action against Stake and VGW, with the latter operating multiple brands, including LuckyLand, Global Poker and Chumba Casino.

AG Uthmeier argues that the operators and the brands are engaging in illegal online gambling and violate Florida’s gambling laws and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. In a statement, AG Uthmeier directly attacks the concept of sweepstakes and social casinos, stating that these operations are illegal under Florida law and have been preying on Floridians with deceptive marketing and 24/7 access.

AG Uthmeier’s Office addressed the popular counter-argument put forward by operators of such websites, expressing that the dual-currency model was intentionally created to disguise the real-money gambling. The complaints specifically named Sweeps Coins and Stake Cash that are bundled with Gold Coins, purchasable by players. The Stake Cash and Sweep Coins can be redeemed or cashed out as cryptocurrency, gift cards, or even cash with a minimum play-through requirement.