Barring a veto from Gov. Greg Gianforte, Montana will soon become the first state to have enacted a ban on casino-style online games that award cash prizes by way of a sweepstakes. While the bill in question does not mention sweepstakes casinos by name, the terms of the bill would render their business model unworkable.
The presumptive law prohibits any online casino platforms that make payouts in “any form of currency,” and/or receives or transmits gambling information. It does, however, create a carveout for sites that “do not allow the use of currency of any kind,” which might allow traditional social casinos without prizes to continue operating.
