Indiana plans first casino lottery hearings for 2026

The first 2026 hearings on Indiana’s lottery casino ban are set for the coming weeks.

The next step in banning casino sweepstakes games comes in the form of Indiana’s first ban hearings, with testimony scheduled to be heard on the sweeps coin ban in casinos on Jan. 6. The state House Committee on Public Policy will meet to hear testimony on House Bill 1052, which is expected to make several changes to state gambling governance and regulation.

It’s not even 2026 yet, and 3 states already have bills that would ban online casino lotteries — Florida, Indiana, and Maine — with more expected. Plus additional AG opinions and civil lawsuits. pic.twitter.com/fQkqgMhpJW

— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) December 31, 2025

That includes banning casinos with dual-currency sweepstakes (or those featuring a Sweeps Coin game), with the official filing noting that the hearing is set to “identify and establish civil and criminal penalties for conducting a « sweepstakes game. »’ bets to the voluntary exclusion program.

Maine’s 2007 legislative document, which would also ban Sweeps Coin gameplay, is also set to have its first hearing right after HB1052, scheduled for January 14th.

The momentum of banning lotteries continues in 2026

Lottery bans are a focus in 2026 for several states, with bans already in place or pre-filed for the year in Indiana, Maine and Florida. This continues the momentum from 2025, with Tennessee issuing no fewer than 40 cease and desist letters late last year and New York officially banning the games in early December.

A ban like the one in Indiana may not end lottery games entirely, focusing only on games that involve dual currencies. This leaves little room for operators to introduce new forms of gaming that do not rely on Sweeps Coin gameplay to offer services in the state that are within the law.

Featured image: PICRYL, licensed under PDM 1.0