Bill Targeting Illegal Gambling Operations Passes Tennessee Senate
Tennessee Today
Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) speaks on the Senate Floor, Monday, March 2, 2026
Earlier this week, the State Senate passed a bill giving Tennessee greater authority to combat illegal gambling operations.
Senate Bill 2136, expands the ability of the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council and the Attorney General to investigate and close down casino-style games, sweepstakes operations, and gambling machines that are outside of the state’s legal gaming framework. It also allows for the Attorney General to pursue stronger civil penalties against companies by designating illegal gambling violations under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) spoke of the increased targeting of Tennesseans by illegal gambling operations, explaining that “this legislation gives the state stronger tools to investigate bad actors, hold them accountable, and shut down unlawful operations that exploit consumers.”
This legislation assists the ongoing effort to crackdown on predatory and unregulated gambling operations in Tennessee. In December 2025, the Attorney General’s office sent 38 cease and desist letters to illegally operating online sweepstakes casinos in Tennessee, successfully halting their operations. Attorney General Johnathan Skrmetti stated, “The only thing you can be sure about with an online sweepstakes casino is that it’s going to take your money. They work hard to make these sweepstakes casinos look legitimate, but at the end of the day they are not. They avoid any oversight that could ensure honesty or fairness. Our Office was glad to chase these shady operations out of Tennessee and will keep working to protect Tennesseans from illegal gambling.”
Tennessee’s actions to combat illegal gambling fall into a multi-state trend to increase oversight and minimize the predatory practices of sweepstakes casinos.
The bill now advances to the House Departments and Agencies Subcommittee calendar for March 10, 2026.