California sweepstakes ban bill heads to Senate vote amid tribal opposition

California’s bill to ban sweepstakes casinos has made it through to a Senate vote, even as tribal opposition ramps up.

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to remove Assembly Bill 831 from the suspense file and advance it to its next phase, a vote in the Senate. The decision came despite mounting opposition from a number of California tribes.

#ICYMI: News coverage has shown growing tribal opposition to California’s #AB831, a bill that could strip rural tribes of key economic opportunities.

Tribes say that the bill threatens sovereignty and digital innovation.

Read more here: https://t.co/EbzyQrdshS

— Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) (@SGLeadership) September 4, 2025

“AB831 is a flawed and rushed bill that lacks broad tribal consensus,” said Jeff Duncan, Executive Director of SGLA and former Congressman. “As Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, the Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians, the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria and Big Lagoon Rancheria have made clear, this bill would limit economic options available to tribes and worsen already fragile economic conditions.

“What California lawmakers should focus on instead is creating proper regulation that supports online social games, creates new revenue sources for the state and protects economic opportunities for all tribes.”

If this bill is passed and makes it into law, it would make it illegal for any person or company to operate or help to operate an online sweepstakes game in the state of California. However, there are still plenty more legislative steps to get through before that happens.

What’s next for the sweepstakes ban bill?

The bill now requires a simple majority to pass in the Senate, needing 21 out of the 40 possible votes. If passed, it will return to the Assembly to be officially passed in its current form. Since the last time AB831 was passed in the Assembly, it’s gone through various changes, such as reviewing tribal gambling contracts and banning sweepstakes more generally.

That means it needs to pass two final steps in the Assembly, with votes in the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee and finally the full Assembly. This would send the bill to be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom and make it into law.

The legislative deadline for the 2025 session in California ends on September 12, but if the bill doesn’t get through all of those steps before then, it can be picked back up in the 2026 session, starting in January.

The bill has faced growing opposition from California tribes, with at least four tribes – including the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, the Big Lagoon Rancheria, the Sherwood Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians, and the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria – arguing that the potential ban on social games and sweepstakes casinos would have a detrimental impact on the tribes and their earnings.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

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