A Direct Attack
HB 1052 is not subtle. It goes after a very specific target: any game that uses a dual-currency system (your classic Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins setup), lets players turn that play into cash or cash-like prizes, and dresses it all up as slots, video poker, table games, bingo, lottery, or sports betting.
If your product looks and feels like a casino, runs on two currencies, and pays out anything with real-world value, Indiana now calls it gambling, and wants it gone. This isn’t a “we’ll study it and get back to you” moment. It’s a direct shot at the mechanics that have powered the sweeps model for the last decade.
The Penalty
Indiana takes a softer swing than some of its neighbors, but it still swings. Under HB 1052, anyone running a dual-currency sweeps game is staring at a civil penalty of up to $100,000 per violation. No criminal charges, no felonies, no affiliates or suppliers being dragged in alongside them — at least not in this draft. The spotlight is squarely on the operators.
That’s a very different tone to states like Florida, where proposed bills would turn unlicensed online gambling into a felony offence, or others that rope in promoters, payment processors, and geolocation firms for good measure.
Still, a potential six-figure hit per breach is still enough to make even the biggest sweeps brands think carefully about how much Indiana is really worth.
Indiana Tightens the Whole Gambling Landscape Too
HB 1052 isn’t just a shot at sweepstakes casinos, it’s part of a broader cleanup of Indiana’s gambling rules. The bill folds sportsbooks into the state’s voluntary exclusion program, tightens up horse racing safety and drug-testing protocols, and adds fresh protections for people at risk of gambling harm.
It’s Indiana modernising its entire gambling framework. and sweeps just happen to be caught in the middle of that upgrade.
Why Indiana Is Suddenly Paying Attention
This didn’t come out of nowhere. Indiana’s regulators, like plenty of others, have been watching dual-currency models slowly morph into full-on casino lookalikes, just without the licenses. And the national mood has already shifted.
New York has banned sweeps casinos outright. California, Connecticut, Montana, Nevada and New Jersey have all pushed through restrictions of their own. Minnesota, West Virginia, Louisiana and Michigan have used attorneys general to squeeze operators out, while Maine and Florida now have heavyweight 2026 bills aimed at the same target.
So when Indiana stepped up this week, it wasn’t leading the charge, it was simply joining the stampede.
The SGLA Isn’t Happy… As Usual
The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance, the main trade group for sweepstakes operators, has been fighting this same fight in almost every state that’s moved against dual-currency models this year.
The message rarely changes: sweeps are framed as entertainment, not gambling; bans are said to kill jobs and local economic activity; regulation is better than prohibition; and operators insist they already follow consumer-protection laws and that bans will simply push players toward offshore casinos instead.
Sometimes that argument buys time. This year, it mostly hasn’t. New York, California and a growing list of others went ahead and pulled the plug anyway. With Indiana now stepping into the fray, the SGLA has yet another front to fight on, and one more state where “regulate, don’t ban” motion is being pushed around.
Where This Leaves Sweeps Operators
If HB 1052 passes, the decision tree for sweeps operators in Indiana gets very simple, very fast.
You can geoblock the state and walk away.
You can flip Indiana to Gold-Coin-only and strip out anything redeemable for cash or prizes.
Or you can pretend nothing happened and gamble on a potential $100,000 civil penalty per violation.
There’s a clear loser in that lineup, and it’s definitely not the first two options.
Affiliates and creators shouldn’t get too relaxed either. Even though Indiana’s bill doesn’t currently drag promoters into the penalty box, any outright ban creates splash damage. If you’re pushing “best sweepstakes casino” content into Indiana on purpose, or “accidentally on purpose”, it might be time to double-check those geo and audience settings.
The Bottom Line
Indiana isn’t swinging a Florida-style felony hammer or a New York-style instant shutdown, but it’s aiming at the same target: the dual-currency sweeps model that powers a lot of the best sweepstakes casinos online. HB 1052 doesn’t have to name a single brand, it just bans the core mechanic that makes those products work.
At this point, the real question isn’t whether Indiana is targeting sweeps, it’s how many more states are going to follow.
Blaise Luis
