The first hearing on Indiana’s sweepstakes casino ban bill has had its date set

The first hearings of 2026 related to banning sweepstakes casinos in Indiana have been scheduled for the coming weeks.

The next step in banning sweepstakes casino gaming is coming in the form of the very first hearings related to the ban in Indiana, with testimony scheduled to be heard around banning Sweeps Coin gameplay at casinos on January 6. The state’s House Public Policy Committee will gather to hear testimony on House Bill 1052, which is expected to make a handful of changes to the state’s governance and regulation of gambling.

It's not even 2026 yet, and 3 states already have bills in place that would ban online sweepstakes casinos — Florida, Indiana, and Maine — with more expected. Plus additional AG opinions and civil enforcement actions. pic.twitter.com/fQkqgMhpJW

— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) December 31, 2025

That includes the ban of dual-currency sweepstakes casinos (or those involving Sweeps Coin gameplay), with a note on the official documents that the hearing is set to “define and establish civil and criminal penalties for conducting a ‘sweepstakes game'”. In addition, the hearing will focus on changes that would add conditions for revoking or suspending horse racing betting licenses, and adding sports wagering certificate holders to the voluntary exclusion program.

Maine’s Legislative Document 2007, which would also ban Sweeps Coin gameplay, is also set to have its first hearing just after HB1052’s, scheduled for January 14.

Sweepstakes ban momentum continues into 2026

Banning sweepstakes is a focus in 2026 for several states, with bans already introduced or pre-filed for the year in Indiana, Maine, and Florida. That continues momentum from 2025, with Tennessee issuing no fewer than 40 cease-and-desist letters at the end of last year, and New York officially banning the games early in December.

A ban like Indiana’s may not be the end of sweepstakes gaming entirely, only focusing on games that involve dual currencies. That does leave some room for operators to innovate new forms of games that don’t rely on Sweeps Coin gameplay to still offer services in the state that are within the bounds of the law.

Featured image: PICRYL, licensed under PDM 1.0

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