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OAKLAND PARK, Fla. - (Gambling911.com) - Florida’s Attorney General has demanded Reddit, Snap and TikTok stop carrying ads for sweepstakes gambling platforms in the state, a move that follows August lawsuits against Stake and VGW brands like Chumba Casino, LuckyLand and Global Poker.
US.- Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier sent letters to Reddit, Snap and TikTok demanding they stop carrying ads for those websites. He has given the companies until October 23 to confirm removal and explain their prevention plans.
Florida alleges that companies offering digital slots, poker and casino games using the familiar two-currency structure are conducting illegal real-money gambling, notwithstanding the sweepstakes terminology.
Uthmeier also sent a letter to Google, which owns YouTube.
“It has come to my attention that your company may be advertising illegal ‘sweepstakes’ casinos on its social media platforms to residents of Florida,” Uthmeier wrote in the letter to Google.
“Promoting illegal gambling is a crime under Florida law.”
Florida is now taking the position that the typical dual-currency sweepstakes-casino model is illegal gambling, though the state does not currently make all sweepstakes or all dual-currency promotions categorically illegal in Florida.
Florida still permits legitimate sweepstakes/game promotions. Under Fla. Stat. §849.094, a sweepstakes can be conducted in connection with the sale of a bona fide product or service, but an operator cannot require an entry fee, payment or proof of purchase as a condition of entry. Florida's Department of Agriculture expressly says legitimate sweepstakes remain legal and that consumers cannot be required to pay to participate.
Florida lawmakers failed to pass gambling enforcement measures during the 2026 legislative session. House Bill 591, which sought to prohibit non-Seminole Tribe gambling, failed in a House subcommittee. Senate Bill 1580, a broader measure targeting illegal gambling, passed the Senate, and an amended version cleared the House by 82-31 on March 11, but the Senate did not resolve the changes before the legislative session ended.
Section 849.11 prohibits games of chance played for money or another thing of value, including when conducted “under the pretext of a sale, gift or delivery.”
The state does not regulate iGaming. Its only regulated sportsbook is Hard Rock Bet, however, DraftKings and Kalshi now offer their prediction market sports betting model to state residents claiming federal oversight.
DraftKings, in particular, has been aggressively advertising over state airwaves and on social media platforms that the website is now available for betting in Florida.
Platforms can also use IP-derived location, device/location information, account location and advertisers' geographic targeting parameters to determine where an ad is eligible to appear. Florida law itself recognizes circumstances in which a social-media platform “knows or has reason to believe” a user is located in Florida.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
