During a five-part educational series on sweepstakes hosted by the Indian Gaming Association, American Gaming Association Senior Vice President for Government Relations Chris Cylke said Wednesday that he believes the legal status of sweepstakes casinos is “murky.”
“If sweepstakes gaming were as clear cut as those involved with it are saying, we probably would be doing it. But it’s not worth putting (their) gaming licenses at risk,” Cylke said of feedback he’s received from AGA members.
Cylke made the comments during a call with IGA Conference Chairman Victor Rocha and Indian Gaming Association Executive Director Jason Giles. Previous editions of the five-part educational series include conversations with Sports Betting Alliance President Jeremy Kudon.
While Giles pointed to McDonald’s Monopoly game as an example of a popular sweepstakes that runs in the United States without issues, Cylke dismissed the comparison, saying, “while … McDonald’s may be on solid ground here, when you apply it to online casino gaming, it’s murky at best.”
Giles suggested that the new market of sweepstakes casinos in the United States is similar to the emergence of the daily fantasy sports industry, where operators launch without explicit approval but without laws preventing operation. He also suggested that sweepstakes are not getting regulatory attention because they are not interesting to lawmakers, explaining that, “part of the problem is that (attorneys general) are usually looking for higher office, so it is not a priority. And it’s not that interesting. Honestly, the idea of people sitting down to play free games (at home) is a little weird.”
