What’s Being Targeted—and Why It’s Suddenly a Big Deal
Sweepstakes platforms are often built around two “currencies”: play coins for entertainment and a bonus currency that can be redeemed for cash or prizes. That structure has become a flashing red light for regulators, and House Bill HB 1052 is designed to squeeze the model—especially for casino-style offerings like slots, table games, video poker, and similar formats. Under the proposal, penalties could reach as high as 100.000$ per violation.
The Key Twist: A “Poker Carveout” at the Perfect Moment
The headline for poker fans is the amendment pushed by Senator Kyle Walker. The language added to the bill states that the ban should not apply to “peer-to-peer skill-based poker games.” In plain player terms: sweepstakes poker rooms such as Global Poker or ClubWPT Gold would remain a legal option, even if much of the sweepstakes casino ecosystem gets pushed off the felt.
How Close Is This to Becoming Law
HB 1052 has already moved with momentum through both chambers. The Indiana House advanced it on third reading by a vote of 87–11 on February 2, 2026, and the Senate passed an amended version 37–8 on February 17, 2026. Now the two versions must be reconciled—likely through a conference committee—because the legislative session is set to end on February 27, 2026. The next key step is expected at the start of this week, with conference discussions slated for Monday, February 23, 2026.
Why Poker Players Should Care More Than It First Appears
Indiana still doesn’t offer a fully regulated real-money online casino market—or regulated online poker in the traditional sense—so this carveout is more meaningful than it sounds. It preserves one of the few widely accessible online poker pathways for local players, while lawmakers tighten the screws on casino-style sweepstakes games. At the same time, the broader debate isn’t going away: some voices in the industry argue that regulation and taxation would be a cleaner solution than an outright ban, with estimates floating that a regulated framework could generate more than 20.000.000$ annually.
The next few days will tell the real story: whether Indiana locks in a strict shutdown of sweepstakes casinos while leaving poker standing—or whether the conversation shifts toward building a controlled, taxable model instead.
Source - PokerScout, LegiScan, CardPlayer
