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Online and sweepstakes casinos had a rough go of it this past week, facing resistance in Maine and California, respectively. On the positive side, the WWE is coming to an operator’s online casinos in four states and a newcomer to the sweeps casino world has a great new promotion on tap.
Maine governor dooms online casinos until 2026
Maine online casinos won’t become a reality in 2025. This past week, Gov. Janet Mills chose not to sign a bill that would legalize online casino gaming for the four federally-recognized tribes in the state. The bill made it through the Maine House and Senate in June and only needed Mills’s signature to become law. The saga is another chapter in a book written by Mills in which the governor has made gaming expansion the enemy. She vetoed a sports betting bill in 2020, too.
Per the bill’s text, online casino licenses would cost $50,000, and operators would pay a 16% tax on adjusted gross revenue.
Lawmakers can take up the bill again in January 2026 when the new year’s legislative session begins.
Fanatics, WWE ink deal for branded online slots game
Online sportsbook and casino operator Fanatics announced this week that it has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with the WWE. The partnership enables Fanatics to offer WWE-themed online casino titles in Fanatics’ iGaming states: Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Fanatics’ first round of WWE-themed games will launch later this month ahead of the WWE’s SummerSlam, which takes place August 2 and 3.
Ari Borod, chief business officer for Fanatics’ betting and gaming division, said in a press release the company is “excited” to welcome the WWE to its library of online casino games. Borod noted that the casino deal is part of a broader business relationship between Fanatics and the WWE. Fanatics already sells WWE merchandise and produces WWE online shows.
Ban on sweepstakes casinos moves through California legislature
A bill that would ban sweepstakes casinos in California passed through another committee earlier this week, marking the second time it’s done so since arriving in Sacramento earlier this year.
The ban would prohibit any “contest or sweepstakes” games, which include games that have gambling themes and offer “sweepstakes cash, cash-equivalent prizes, or prizes of value.”
The bill would need to pass through at least one other committee, go to votes on the House and Senate floors, then get Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature to become law.
Knowing how gaming expansion has fared in the past in the Golden State, a sweepstakes ban is a legitimate possibility. Sports betting went to the voters in 2022 and failed miserably in an epic fiasco that resulted in two different sports wagering propositions showing up on the ballot. Neither proposition had a chance, as it turns out. Voters shot both propositions down by votes of 67% to 33% and 82% to 18%.
And, just over a week ago, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a formal opinion in which he said daily fantasy sports pick ’em and “draft style games” are illegal under California law “because they involve betting on sporting events.”
Casino.Click launches new free-spin promo
Casino.Click, a sweepstakes casino that’s gained popularity recently, has launched a new promo called “Play&Get.” Every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Casino.Click uers can particiapte in the promotion to earn free spins through gameplay. Users will need to log into their account and opt-into the Play&Get promotion through the Click Arena.
After opting in, the casino will let you know which games you need to play and how often in order to win free spins. You can redeem the free spins on Casino.Click’s game of the week, which rotates weekly.
In addition to its new Play&Get promo, Casino.Click has a welcome bonus in which new users can earn up to 22 free sweepstakes coins and 300,000 gold coins when they make their first purchase.
