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The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) has stated that a ban on online social games and sweepstakes in New York would amount to a loss of $230 million annually to the state’s economy.
The group has raised concerns and presented economic research opposing the proposed legislation to curtail this type of entertainment, which would, says the SGLA, do more damage than good to the state’s financials.
SGLA opposes ban on social gaming and sweepstakes in NY
We reported on the SGLA opposed a similar ban through a bill (AB 831) in the state of California that was successful in bringing this form of entertainment gaming to an end, much to the group’s frustration.
The collective was critical of Governor Newsom’s decision to back the bill, saying that his decision was “flawed” and “rushed.” The group had lobbied for the people of the Golden State to oppose the bill, but has faced constant battles with the California Tribes and other vocal opponents.

If Governor Newsom signs AB 831 into law, online social games with sweepstakes promotions will be banned in the state of California, taking along $1 billion in contributions to the state.
Californians must act TODAY. Tell Governor Newsom to VETO AB 831: https://t.co/EIxBJON0hH pic.twitter.com/C15gPFpOrz
— Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) (@SGLeadership) October 10, 2025

Jeff Duncan, Executive Director of SGLA, said that he hoped Governor Newsom would “see past the anti-competitive efforts of the powerful, well-funded tribes behind this bill and veto AB 831, but he chose the easy, short-sighted path and turned his back on choice, innovation, and economic gains.”
History is repeating itself in the Big Apple, and the SGLA has moved on to protect the social gaming and sweepstakes scene in the state.
Governor Hochul faces a sweepstakes choice
Governor Kathy Hochul is overseeing a possible veto of the legislation (S. 5935-A / A. 6745-A). The SGLA and Duncan are making their case to the state figurehead to support this type of gaming in the state.
The SGLA has also said that, as a result of not progressing the legislation, a further $80 million would be “unlocked” in additional taxable revenue.
Duncan said of the NY legislation, “Governor Hochul faces a clear choice: Embrace smart regulation that protects consumers and generates new revenue or ban a thriving, responsible industry and eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefits.”
The group has gone further to prove the financial boon that social gaming and sweepstakes provide to the state, with research conducted by analytics company Eilers & Krejcik.
Providing statistics showing that in 2024, sweepstakes and social games contributed, “$230 million in annual revenue to the state, $135 million in interchange fees to New York-based card issuing companies and $15 million in payment processing and card network fees to NY-based companies like Mastercard and American Express.”
The statistics also showed employment figures of sweepstakes and social gaming resulted in $38 million-plus in household earnings through New York employers.
Duncan concluded, saying, “We urge the Governor to veto this bill and support a framework that ensures these games are safe, accessible and beneficial to New Yorkers.”
Featured image: Canva
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The UK Gambling Commission has issued a £10 million ($13 million) fine to gambling operator Platinum Gaming.
The British regulator has found that Platinum Gaming has breached anti-money laundering safeguards and has racked up several social responsibility failings across their platforms.

Platinum Gaming Limited will pay a £10 million penalty after an investigation revealed Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and social responsibility failings.
To read more about this, visit our website https://t.co/LPyuZMxaCt pic.twitter.com/M6mueXe1aO
— Gambling Commission (@GamRegGB) October 22, 2025

This is the second red flag for Platinum Gaming after the brand was given a substantial fine of £2.9 million ($3.8 million) in 2023 by regulators for the same breaches. Last month, the Dutch gambling regulator also took action against Optdeck Service, the operator of the prominent Unibet brand in the country, slapping it with a €450,000 ($524,160) fine.
Platinum Gaming hit with massive fine
Unibet and UK Bingo, the gaming operator’s flagship platforms, are at the heart of the Gambling Commission’s findings, and both will be forced to undergo revisions of their current responsibilities.
The regulator stated that both will participate in a third-party audit, but the company or institution responsible for processing the reviews of their anti-money laundering and safer gambling policies, procedures, and controls has not been mentioned.
The statement from the British wagering watchdog went into great detail on both the anti-money laundering and responsibility failings to protect consumers.
John Pierce, Commission Director of Enforcement, stated that the Gambling Commission uncovered “serious shortcomings in customer interaction systems, including failures to identify and act on clear markers of harm.”
Platinum Gaming’s policy failings
The anti-money laundering and “terrorist risk” financing of the operator was found to be inappropriate and resulted in accounts prior to 2023, the time of the initial fine, not being suitably closed.
This allowed, said the Gambling Commission, “some customers whose accounts had been blocked to open new accounts and gamble.”
The regulator also highlighted that customer review processes were not flagging possible threats to money laundering, high transaction values, and their gambling policies lacked clarity.
“These included consumers losing thousands within hours or days of registration, repeatedly breaching loss limits, and exhibiting patterns of binge and high-velocity gambling without appropriate intervention,” Pierce continued.
The social responsibility failings, which revolve around support mechanisms for consumers, were also found to be substantially lacking.
The Gambling Commission brought to light the case of an individual who lost £16,000 ($21,000) in the space of three months, and £5,000 ($6,500) in the space of one 24-hour period.
There were three other instances flagged by the regulator stating that Platinum Gaming and its sites failed to contact or put provisions in place to stem problem gambling.
The included “a consumer who lost over £31,000 within nine months, hit their monthly loss limit on six occasions, and demonstrated markers of harm associated with high velocity gambling.”
The other two instances involved an individual maxing out their loss limit within sixteen minutes of registering with their gaming site and another individual who staked £73,000 and lost £4,100 across twenty-three days.
Featured image: Unibet / Canva
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