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Florida is expanding its sweepstakes casino crackdown beyond operators and into the companies that allegedly handle their payments.
According to lawsuits filed Aug. 19, the state named several payment processing firms as co-defendants alongside sweepstakes casino operators VGW and Stake. The move marks a broader enforcement strategy that goes beyond the casino brands themselves and targets the financial services that help support their transactions.
Florida names processors in VGW and Stake cases
The lawsuit against VGW names Yodlee, Trustly, and Worldpay Holdco as defendants. A separate case tied to Stake.us names Praxis Tech and Breeze Labs Payments, along with Stake co-founders Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani.
Florida alleges the payment companies continued providing services despite earlier regulatory action and public scrutiny around sweepstakes casino operations. The state is seeking penalties under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, consumer restitution, and recovery of profits tied to the challenged activity. The article notes that civil penalties could rise depending on circumstances involving seniors or minors.
The complaints also include large revenue allegations. Florida says VGW generated more than $5 billion in revenue during 2025, including roughly $3.7 billion from Chumba Casino. In the Stake.us matter, the complaint cites approximately $4.7 billion in gross gaming revenue during 2024.
The state had already pressed major card networks
Florida had signaled this approach earlier in 2026. In June, the state sent cease-and-desist letters to Visa, Mastercard, and American Express over sweepstakes casino-related transactions.
That earlier step, combined with the new lawsuits, suggests Florida is testing whether enforcement against payment rails can be used to pressure the broader sweepstakes casino market.
What readers should watch next
These cases were still in the early stages at the time of publication, and the operators and payment processor defendants had not publicly responded. That means any effect on payment access or the broader sweepstakes casino market remains unsettled for now.
Another point to watch is whether other states follow a similar path. The report notes that Louisiana has enacted legislation extending potential liability to payment processors and geolocation vendors in certain gambling-related activity.
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Source: As reported by Ian Valentino.
