Louisiana SB 181 Aims to Ban Sweeps Casinos, Spurs Controversy
Louisiana joined a dozen other states in attempting to outlaw the Sweeps Casino model.
Louisiana is the latest state to attempt to outlaw sweeps casinos. © Arisa Chattasa, Unsplash
Key Facts:
- LA SB 181 would outlaw Sweeps Casinos in Louisiana
- It would also pull the licenses of vendors who work with Sweeps.
- The Bill is likely DOA without significant revision.
Louisiana state politicians have a well-earned reputation for shooting first and aiming later. It’s not a surprise to see a well-intentioned bill make its way onto the Louisiana Senate floor with so much baggage that it leaves one scratching one’s head. Adam Bass’s newly introduced SB 181 is one such bill.
To amend and reenact R.S. 14:90.3(B) and (E) through (K), and to enact R.S. 14:90.3(L), 3 (M), and (N) and R.S. 27:28(L), (M), and (N), relative to illegal gambling by computer; to provide for definitions; to prohibit companies from doing business with terrorist-supporting countries; to prohibit sweepstakes gaming; to provide for penalties; and to provide for related matters.– LA SB181, Lousiana Senate, Legiscan
. Either way, the penalty is 10k to 100k and no more than five years of hard labor; in any case, should you be convicted of either running a sweepstakes game, doing business with terrorist-supporting countries, or, God forbid, being a terrorist running a sweepstakes casino.
The law would also make it illegal for anyone currently with a Lousiana gaming badge to operate, conduct or promote any sweepstakes casinos, as well as revoke the license of any geolocation provider, gaming manufacturer or supplier, or media affiliate who has done business with such.
There is a lookback period of five years for suppliers and manufacturers before they can be licensed, which prohibits any revenue directly or indirectly from state sponsors of terrorism, any country that prohibits land-based gaming or online gaming, or both, and also any country that knowingly fosters or supports illegal gambling
What any of that means or how it would be determined is anybody’s guess, but every year before licensure, each applicant would need to sign an affidavit that they have not profited or supplied “either directly or indirectly” any such country as those enumerated.
The Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA), the lobbying group for sweeps and social casinos, pointed out that the broad language of the bill might affect loyalty programs like Hotel and Airline Points. While perhaps they are not the most disinterested of groups, we think that this time, they probably have a point.
“Аny other product accessing the internet, World Wide Web, or any part thereof offering to any client for the primary purpose of the conducting as a business of any game, contest, lottery, or contrivance whereby a person risks the loss of anything of value in order to realize a profit.” LA SB 181
While we aren’t lawyers, there seems to be a lot of open-to-interpretation language in a bill that could see you spending five years of hard labor at Angola, Lousiana’s state prison built on the site of former plantation where workers are paid two cents an hour to toil in the farm fields regardless of the weather.
The bill will move on to the Louisiana Senate Judiciary Committee, where hopefully someone with more legal acumen can fine-tune it a bit. Holding slot manufacturers liable for whatever the State of Louisiana deems illegal, even if the said company wasn’t directly operating in that country or not, seems a bit of a stretch.
While attempting to parse the language on fostering or supporting “illegal” gambling, which might have left a lot of companies doing business in the Philippines up until relatively recently, out in the cold is not likely to engender a lot of support either.
