AB 831 Moves To The Governor: Where Sweepstakes Poker Stands in California

What Changed Since August

AB 831 cleared the legislature unanimously, and that includes a 79–0 vote on the Assembly floor. Valencia framed his proposal as closing a “sweepstakes casino loophole,” arguing operators lean on “no purchase necessary” and dual-currency mechanics to live in a gray area.

Whatever the case, the measure is now off to Governor Newsom until October 12, 2025 when he has either to sign it or veto it. If he signs or allows it to become law, the ban takes effect on January 1, 2026.

If it passes, this bill would bill would close the door on dual-currency sweepstakes poker and casino products in California. It would also penalties operators: up to a $25,000 fine and as much as one year in jail. However, the language doesn’t stop at operators. It extends liability to those who knowingly help run the ecosystem. This means payment processors, content suppliers, and affiliates.

Right now, the politics around the bill are messy. You have some tribes supporting AB 831 to protect gambling exclusivity. At that July hearing, tribal leaders warned that allowing online sweepstakes casinos to continue would “destabilize the entire legal gaming ecosystem.” Major backers include the California Nations Indian Gaming Association (CNIGA) and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and the Sports Betting Alliance, representing FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Fanatics, and bet365, has also lined up in support.

Others, like Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, think it’s a blow to smaller, less-resourced communities that partnered with social and sweepstakes operators.

On the industry side, the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) and the Social and Promotional Games Association are urging a veto.

Where Do California Poker Players Stand Now

Right now, nothing changes. The earliest effective date is January 1, 2026, which gives California players time to follow developments and, if needed, prepare for withdrawal windows.

If you look at similar exits that’ve happened elsewhere, operators typically announce a redemption period so players can cash out balances and finish pending prizes. If AB 831 passes, we’d expect a similar approach here.

While nothing’s official yet, there are already little signs of ripple effects. High 5 Casino exited California this month. Several other major casino content providers have pulled their games from the sweeps ecosystem, while another large supplier has stepped away from US sweeps entirely.

As far as poker sites that use the dual-currency model, they’re still open to Californians for now. If Governor Newsom signs the bill and it becomes law, those rooms will likely set exit timelines well ahead of the 2026 start date.

What Poker Readers Have Been Saying

With the decision now in the Governor’s hands, PokerListings decided to go back to the original conversation among players on Reddit. As it turns out, the Reddit thread that kicked this debate off captured a few themes that are still in play:

If you keep scrolling the thread, you’ll notice this is one of the main objection. Players argue AB 831 as treating a symptom rather than building a clear path for online poker. The point here isn’t that a ban is harsh. It’s that lawmakers created the ecosystem for sweepstakes to exist, then chose prohibition over a framework that could demand ID checks and tax reporting.

And while the original Reddit thread started with a call to community action, many users doubt that grassroots emails could move votes.

What Happens Next

As for now, no law has been changed. That means all eyes are on the Governor Newsom, at least until October 12.

If AB 831 becomes law, California would be moving in step with a wider national trend: Montana has already set an October 1, 2025 start date for its ban; New York’s anti-sweeps bill was signed in June; Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Connecticut, and West Virginia have declared sweepstakes casinos illegal.

In the meantime, if the veto works, it would keep sweeps poker alive and restart the conversation about what (if anything) comes next for sweepstakes in California. A signature to let it become law means we’ll be seeing operators wind-down their plans and send out announcements about redemption timelines.

Bottom line: AB 831 is no longer a committee fight. It is on the Governor’s desk, and the clock is running.