A group of 11 social and sweepstakes operators are joining forces to launch a new trade group called the Social and Promotional Gaming Association (SPGA) to advocate for their interests and educate the public. The formation of the SPGA comes at a critical time for social and sweepstakes games as a whole, as the industry is under fire from the mainstream gaming operators working together under the auspices of the American Gaming Association (AGA).
When it does launch, the SPGA will consist of 11 members including 10 Ten Gaming Blazesoft, Fliff, FSG Digital, Gold Coin Group, High 5 Entertainment, KHK Games, Kickr Games, Octacom, Rolling Riches, and Woopla Gaming.
Groups like the SPGA are pretty common and generally lobby politicians and generally try to educate the public about the industry’s role in society. “The SPGA presents a unified voice for the integrity and responsibility of its members’ offerings. By working together, the SPGA and its members aim to promote best practices, ensure compliance with regulations, and advocate for the interests of both our industry and the players who enjoy our games,” the group posted on its website.
The timing of the SPGA’s formation is likely the result of pressure being applied to US lawmakers by the AGA to crack down on social and sweepstakes sites. According the AGA, these operators should be much more heavily regulated than they are today. SPGA members maintain that they are essentially social casinos and shouldn’t be subject to the same regulations as real-money casinos.
According to the SPGA website, the group will be formally launching on October 1 with an introductory webinar.