Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has sent cease-and-desist letters to Google, Meta, Reddit, Snap and TikTok demanding they stop showing sweepstakes casino advertisements to Florida residents. The platforms have until October 23, 2026 to confirm the ads are gone and explain how they will keep them out.
What happened
The letters are dated September 24, 2026 and were announced on September 28. They name Stake.us, Chumba Casino, LuckyLand and Global Poker as examples of the sites being advertised. Uthmeier’s position is blunt: “If it looks like a casino, takes real money like a casino, and pays out like a casino, it is a casino—and it is illegal under Florida law.”
This is the third step in a two-month escalation. In August the AG’s office sued Stake and VGW (Chumba’s parent) in Hillsborough County Circuit Court, along with several payment processors. The ad letters widen the target from operators to the platforms that put them in front of players.
Florida has no sweepstakes ban on the books; a bill failed in the 2026 session. The AG is instead arguing that the dual-currency model already falls under existing gambling law, which is the same route New York took before extracting an $8 million settlement from VGW in September.
What it means for players
- Nothing changes at the account level today. Florida players can still log in, play and redeem at casinos that accept the state.
- Expect fewer sweepstakes ads on Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and TikTok in Florida from late October, whatever the platforms formally reply.
- Watch the operators named in the August lawsuits. VGW pulled Sweeps Coins play out of New York after the AG’s 2025 letter; a Florida exit by Chumba, Global Poker or Stake.us is a real possibility if the court case goes badly.
What happens next
October 23, 2026: platforms’ response deadline. The Hillsborough County cases against Stake and VGW continue in parallel; no hearing date has been published.
See also
General information compiled from public sources, not legal advice. Laws change often. Reporting reflects information available on October 1, 2026.