A bill in Connecticut that would ban lottery couriers and online sweepstakes casinos is set to go before the full Senate floor.
SB 1235 was reported favorably out of the Legislative Commissioners’ Office on Monday and has been assigned to the Senate calendar.
The bill, which was put forward by the General Law Committee in February, specifies that “no person shall conduct or promote a sweepstakes or a promotional drawing … that uses a simulated gambling device or allows or facilitates participation in any real or simulated online casino gaming or sports wagering.”
It clarifies that the bill does not stop a retail grocery chain from conducting or promoting a sweepstakes that uses a simulated gambling device, as long as the sweepstakes is related to the sale of groceries and does not offer a prize that is redeemable for cash.
The lottery courier language is very clear: “No person shall operate a ticket courier service in this state.”
The measure is part of a wider crackdown on unauthorized online gambling. The bill would classify operating any illegal gambling business as a Class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Bill enjoyed two unanimous committee votes
SB 1235 was unanimously approved by the state’s General Law Committee by a 22-0 vote in late March and again by the Judiciary Committee in late April by a 37-0 vote.
Now, the Legislative Commissioners’ Office has also given it the green light. The bill is recommended by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection and would expand the DCP’s oversight of gaming licensees and would allow the state to seize any simulated gambling device “that is used in a sweepstakes or promotional drawing.”
The Connecticut legislative session ends June 4. There is not stated deadline for Senate bills to cross over to the House.
Bill also addresses sports betting, multi-state gaming, ads
The wide-ranging bill also does several things in addition to the courier and sweepstakes bans.
It would allow betting on Connecticut college teams for tournaments in which at least four teams are participating and when the wager is based on the outcome of all games in the tournament. If all Connecticut college teams had been eliminated a tournament, betting would be allowed from that point on.
Betting on boxing and mixed martial arts woudl also be allowed, as long as it did not violate the bill’s other illegal gambling provisions.
The Connecticut governor would be able to sign agreements with other states to authorize multijurisdictional peer-to-peer online casino games, including slots, blackjack, roulette, poker and video poker, bingo, live dealer and other peer-to-peer games.
SB 1235 also imposes new restrictions on gambling advertising, including measures designed to prevent ads from targeting minors or vulnerable state residents or from deliberately or unintentionally misleading consumers.
