Tennessee AG's office targets social casinos in latest sweep against the sector

• Tennessee’s AG has gone after 40 social sweepstakes casinos
• The AG’s office has deemed these websites illegal
• This is part of a wider animus against social sweepstakes casinos across the United States

Despite the year being nearly out, Tennessee’s Attorney General has used this as an opportunity to send a clear message to the social sweepstakes casino sector.

Tennessee cracks down on social sweepstakes casinos

AG Jonathan Skrmetti has ordered 40 such casinos, deemed illegal by his office, to cease all and any operations in the state.

The measure impacts many of the most prominent operators available nationally, and is part of a wider sweep against the sector, which has come under increased scrutiny.

Among the websites affected are such brands as Chumba, Crown Coins Casino, Fortune Wheelz, Global Poker, High 5 Casino, MrLucky, Mega Bonanza, WOW Vegas, Yay Casino, and others.

In a statement, Skrmetti explained what motivated his decision to go after what he essentially deems illegal gambling content:

"The only thing you can be sure about with an online sweepstakes casino is that it’s going to take your money. They work hard to make these sweepstakes casinos look legitimate, but at the end of the day, they are not. They avoid any oversight that could ensure honesty or fairness. Our Office was glad to chase these shady operations out of Tennessee and will keep working to protect Tennesseans from illegal gambling."

The statement was issued on Monday, December 29, with Tennessee becoming the latest state to actually take a belligerent stance on sweepstakes casinos. Sweepstakes trade bodies have argued that this is unjust, as their model relies on an established historic precedent.

However, many regulators, lawmakers, and public prosecutors have rebuked this, arguing that the main purpose of people engaging with sweepstakes casinos was to win real money, as confirmed by a recent study by the American Gaming Association (AGA).

Casino-style gaming is available on sweepstakes social casinos, which use a dual currency - one that is available free of charge (although it can be bought in packages) and another one that players can leverage to cash out their bankroll as real-world rewards, often money.

New York and California have gone so far as to ban the sector, but the Empire State is not alone.

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