Committee advances bill to bar internet sweepstakes machines from alcohol-serving venues after debate

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced S.3, a bill intended to clarify that internet sweepstakes machines are not lawful in places that sell alcohol such as bars, restaurants and convenience stores.

A subcommittee member explained the measure aims to close an apparent loophole between Title 12 (gambling) and Title 61 (alcohol) that some magistrate rulings had created. "It just says that there is no loophole," the subcommittee member said, summarizing the bill’s purpose.

Law enforcement witnesses and officials from the Attorney General’s office told the subcommittee that seizures of machines had generally been upheld in magistrate court, a point the subcommittee chair cited when urging action. The chair told members that SLED had seized more than 1,000 machines and that most seizure challenges had been resolved in favor of law enforcement.

Several senators pressed for additional public input. One senator objected to rushing the bill after a pre‑session subcommittee hearing and said some owners of machines had not had an opportunity to testify because the subcommittee met during the holidays: "There are some people that actually are involved that would like to be heard," the senator said, and urged carrying the bill over. The senator also argued the bill as drafted targets only a subset of operators (those in alcohol-serving locations) rather than pursuing broader, comprehensive reform.

Supporters said the limited fix is necessary to prevent creative work-arounds while a broader reform could be pursued later. After debate the committee voted to report S.3 favorably to the full Senate; the hearing transcript records the committee vote as 17 in favor and 2 opposed, with an expected minority report from one senator.

The committee's action sends the bill to the Senate calendar where it may be debated and amended further on the floor.