A Minnesota Senate committee has moved forward a bill that would ban online “sweepstakes” casino-style games, setting up a wider fight over how the state should handle a fast-growing corner of digital gambling. Senate File 4474 cleared the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee after a March 24, 2026 hearing. The proposal now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee as lawmakers continue to weigh its impact. It focuses on platforms that use what lawmakers describe as a “dual-currency” system. Under the language, that means a setup where someone can take part in simulated gambling while paying some form of consideration and becoming eligible for “a prize, award, cash, cash equivalent, or chance to win a prize.” It also defines an “online sweepstakes game” as any online or mobile product using that system while it “simulates casino-style or another form of gambling.” ## Minnesota committee considers sweeping sweepstakes prohibition The prohibition itself states that “a person or entity is prohibited…