This is from our sister site Sports Betting Dime:

Another state is eyeing a complete ban of sweepstakes gambling, including casino style games and sports betting, as more state lawmakers are targeting the form of gaming.

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Rep. Webster Barnaby (R-29) introduced HB 953, while Sen. Corey Simon (R-3) introduced companion bill SB 1404, both to prohibit “internet gambling” and “internet sports betting” to effectively ban sweepstakes gaming in Florida.

The bills will not affect the Seminole Tribe’s gaming compact with Florida. The 30-year gaming compact between the tribe and state grants exclusive in person and online sports betting to the Seminole Tribe, as well as the right to offer craps and roulette at its casinos. In exchange, the Seminole Tribe makes annual payments of at least $500 million a year to the state.

First things first, yes, Corey Simon is now a Florida state senator. He’s a Republican and won the 3rd district seat in 2022 and retained it in 2024, so he’s on his second term now. He’s a Florida native and graduated from FSU, selected by the Eagles with the sixth pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. Simon won a ring with the Colts after leaving Philly, then retired early due to polyarthritis.

The bill he’s co sponsoring isn’t an attack on legal sports betting or online casinos, which we’ve had in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for years now. This aims to ban “sweepstakes gambling,” which is new. Essentially you’ve got  these apps that operate using virtual currency, and you can play for free or buy “sweepstakes coins” and use the coins to play games for cash prizes. It’s not the same as traditional casino, which is heavily regulated and features real money wagers. Maryland, Connecticut, and Misssissippi are other states that introduced legislation banning sweepstakes gambling, so it’s not something unique to Corey Simon and Florida.