Maine Senate Approves Sweepstakes Ban: Everything We Know So Far

Maine's Senate passed LD 2007 on March 13, moving to ban sweepstakes casinos statewide. DraftKings supports the ban. VGW is fighting it. The bill now needs a House vote before April 15. Here's the full breakdown: bill details, timeline, the industry battle, and what it means for players.

The Maine sweepstakes casino ban moved closer to reality. If enacted, the bill would make it both a civil violation and a criminal offense to operate, promote, or support sweepstakes-style casino games in the state.

What Is LD 2007?

LD 2007, formally titled "An Act Regarding the Prohibition of Online Sweepstakes Games", was filed on December 5, 2025, by Sen. Craig Hickman of Kennebec and submitted via the Maine Department of Public Safety. The full bill text is available at Maine State Legislature website. 

It targets the dual-currency model most sweepstakes casino Maine operators use: platforms where players purchase Gold Coins for entertainment while earning Sweeps Coins redeemable for cash prizes.

The bill defines an "online sweepstakes game" as any internet-based game or promotion that uses a dual-currency system and simulates casino-style gaming. Under LD 2007, operating or promoting such a game is both a civil violation and constitutes unlawful gambling under Maine's Criminal Code (Title 17-A, Section 954). That dual classification matters because operators face not only financial penalties but also exposure to Maine's existing criminal enforcement tools.

The bill also gives Maine's Gambling Control Unit sole discretion to define what counts as a dual-currency system through rulemaking. That closes off potential workarounds operators might try in the future. 

The penalties are substantial:

Maine Sweepstakes Casinos Legislative Timeline

LD 2007 moved faster than most expected. Filed in December 2025, it cleared three committee hearings and an 8-2 committee vote before reaching the full Senate floor in under three months.

The House vote is now the critical milestone. If the House passes the bill and Governor Janet Mills signs it, the Maine sweepstakes ban would take effect around mid-July 2026. The April 15 session deadline leaves the House with limited time to act.

During committee hearings, Rep. Sharon Frost asked whether the bill could be designated an emergency measure to accelerate the timeline. Gambling Control Unit Director Milton Champion said that was worth exploring. If pursued, the effective date could move forward significantly.

Why Maine Is Banning Sweepstakes Casinos

Maine's push to ban sweepstakes casinos runs alongside its move to build a regulated online casino market. In January 2026, Gov. Janet Mills signed LD 1164 to become law, legalizing online casino gaming and online poker under the exclusive control of Maine's four Wabanaki Nations tribes. Regulated Maine online casino platforms are expected to launch in early 2027.

The reasoning is straightforward. Unregulated sweepstakes platforms compete directly with the licensed operators Maine is trying to attract. At the January committee hearing, DraftKings' Kevin Cochran said sweepstakes casinos "draw players away from licensed operators and undermine the intent of the law."

Gambling Control Unit Director Milton Champion placed Maine's action in a national context. He cited New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Nevada, Montana, and California as states that have already moved to ban or push out sweepstakes casinos. Active legislation targeting the same model is also advancing in Ohio, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi (SB 2104), North Carolina, Iowa (SF 2289), Maryland, and Florida.

Indiana became the eighth state to pass a formal sweepstakes casino ban. Governor Mike Braun signed House Bill 1052 into law on March 12, the day before Maine's Senate vote. Indiana joins California (AB 831), New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Montana, Nevada, and others that have already restricted or banned the dual-currency model. The national picture is shifting fast.

Consumer protection is a central argument. Maine's Gambling Control Unit warned residents in June 2025 that no sweepstakes platforms are licensed or authorized in the state. Champion described the model plainly at committee hearings: Gold Coins are the hook, and Sweeps Coins, the ones redeemable for real money, are the real product.

What This Means for Players

If the House passes LD 2007 and the Governor signs it, sweepstakes casinos in Maine would become illegal to operate or promote around mid-July 2026. Players should plan for that possibility now.

No operators have withdrawn from Maine yet. But history from other states shows that exodus moves quickly once a ban is signed. When New York, California, and New Jersey moved against sweepstakes platforms, most major operators geofenced those states within weeks. VGW pulled out of Canada entirely in October 2025 and has exited more than a dozen US states under regulatory pressure.

The practical advice is simple: watch the House vote closely. If LD 2007 passes, process any SC balances or pending redemptions before the ban takes effect in mid-July.

The longer-term picture is also relevant. Regulated online casino gaming is coming to Maine in early 2027 under LD 1164. That framework will include consumer protections, licensing requirements, and Gambling Control Unit oversight that sweepstakes platforms currently operate without.

Who's For and Against the Maine Ban

Why DraftKings Backs the Ban But VGW Fights Back

DraftKings' position comes down to competitive logic. As a licensed operator preparing to launch in Maine's new online gambling market, sweepstakes platforms are direct competitors. They operate without the licensing costs, tax obligations, or compliance requirements that regulated operators carry. Kevin Cochran told the January committee hearing that LD 2007 fits logically into the framework Maine has already built: a regulated, tribally controlled online casino market focused on consumer protection.

The DraftKings angle reflects a broader industry pattern. Regulated gaming companies in every state where iGaming has launched have consistently supported sweepstakes bans. This is not just about fairness. It is about protecting the market they paid to enter.

VGW's counterargument is different in nature. Lloyd Melnick, VGW's Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, argued that the ban would set a damaging precedent for interactive entertainment in Maine. He pointed out that the majority of players across VGW's brands, including Chumba Casino, Global Poker, LuckyLand Slots, and LuckyLand Casino, never spend any money. At committee hearings, VGW's Executive Product Advisor Derek Brinkman added that prize redemptions come from a marketing promotion tied to the sweepstakes element, not from the gameplay itself.

VGW is not a small company. It has been running sweepstakes products since 2012, is valued at approximately $2 billion, and serves 36 US states. The core argument is that banning VGW's products would cut off access to a legally established entertainment product used by millions of Americans.

The SGLA went further. Its members include VGW and ARB Interactive, the owner of Publishers Clearing House. Sean Ostrow warned that LD 2007 would push legitimate operators out of Maine while unlicensed offshore platforms stayed put. He framed it as a consumer protection argument in reverse: remove the regulated players, leave the bad actors in place.

The committee was not unanimous. Rep. David Boyer said he came into the hearings leaning toward the ban but shifted after hearing VGW's explanation of how the sweepstakes model works. Two members voted against advancing the bill. That division suggests the House vote is not a foregone conclusion.

A Note on Poker-No Carveout in LD 2007

In contrast to HB 1052 of Indiana, which had an amendment at the last moment to exclude peer-to-peer poker operators such as ClubWPT and Global Poker, LD 2007 of Maine has no carveout. In its definition of the scope of covered casino-style games, the bill expressly encompasses poker and other table games.

Under the bill as passed by the Senate, any online sweepstakes game that simulates poker using a dual-currency system would be covered by the ban. That includes sweepstakes poker products. Platforms like Global Poker, which operate under VGW and are currently available in Maine, would be affected if LD 2007 passes the House unchanged.

If the House amends LD 2007 to add a poker carveout similar to Indiana's, that would change the picture. But as the bill stands today, there is no exemption for peer-to-peer poker in Maine. Players using sweepstakes poker platforms should monitor the House process closely for any amendments before the April 15 session deadline. For full context on how the Maine sweepstakes ban fits into the broader national shift, visit our sweepstakes casinos page. This article will be updated as the House vote progresses.