The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) testified in Maryland in the hopes of urging lawmakers to form “proper regulation” around sweepstakes casinos, rather than pass House Bill 295 which could potentially ban and criminalize social plus games.
"If HB 295 passes, the law-abiding operators will exit the state, but illegal operators will stay and prey on unsuspecting Maryland consumers. Social Plus operators offer real consumer protections that keep minors from playing, that protect consumer data and finances and that encourage responsible social gameplay,” SGLA Managing Director Sean Ostrow said.
"Our industry is regulated at the federal level by the FTC, FCC, US Postal Service and DOJ Consumer Protection division.”
The Alliance testified in front of the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee on February 5, asking lawmakers to reconsider provisions which would criminalize social plus games.
Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW) Chief Growth & Strategy Officer Lloyd Melnick and Head of Responsible Social Gameplay Dwight Ramenaden also shared testimony on February 5 to discuss the “regime of strong consumer protections” social plus games have established.
Instead of approving HB 295, the SGLA urged the Maryland House Ways and Means Committee to consider social plus game regulation which the Association estimates could generate up to $20m in annual revenue for the state.
The SGLA also submitted testimony to Maine lawmakers on January 14, following the introduction of Senate Paper 825, which seeks to prohibit social plus game offerings across the state.
The social gaming organization has instead proposed a regulatory framework that the SGLA believes could generate more than $3m for Maine through player purchase taxes and operator registration fees.
Paysafe officially joined the Social Gaming Leadership Alliance on January 20 as the organization's newest partner and will help to advocate for the regulation and advancement of social plus games
