- California Assembly Bill 831 passed through the state senate.
- The Bill now must be voted through the CA State Senate before going to Governor Gavin Newsom.
- Governor Newsom is expected to sign CA AB-831 once it reaches his desk.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Assembly Bill 831 was voted through the CA State Senate on Monday. The bill, which prohibits operating or using sweepstakes casinos in California, is now going to the California State Assembly.
Assembly member Avelino Valencia originally introduced CA AB-831 on February 19, 2025.
It is likely to be approved and sent to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk to be signed into law.
The bill has been amended four times since Valencia originally introduced it. The focus of those amendments was to clarify that AC AB-831 was not targeting the lottery, cardrooms, or other legal casinos in California.
The purpose of the bill is to prevent California residents from using sweepstakes gambling sites with casino games and sports betting. The bill does not prevent gamblers from using legal real-money casinos like Bovada and BetOnline in California.
The main proponents of AB-831 are the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA).
CNIGA Chairman James Siva has been particularly critical of sweepstakes casinos in California in the past year.
In his 2025 State of the Tribal Nations Speech, Siva singled out sweepstakes casinos and a few other types of gambling (daily fantasy sports, peer-to-peer, and crypto) as specific threats to the CNIGA.
With the passage of AB-831, it is possible that Siva and the rest of the California Nations Indiana Gaming Association will go after DFS operators, peer-to-peer gambling sites, or crypto online casinos. However, since those options have been proven to be legal before, it would likely be an ineffective effort.