The Tennessee Sports Wagering Council (SWC) has directed Blazesoft’s Sportzino platform to cease operations in the state, citing concerns that its sweepstakes-based casino and sports prediction offerings violated gambling regulations. The decision marks another step in the SWC’s ongoing efforts to limit unlicensed wagering activity in Tennessee.
SWC Executive Director Mary Beth Thomas stated that “offering sports wagering in Tennessee is a taxable privilege, and we’re exploring every tool available to us as regulators in our effort to shut down illegal sportsbooks.”
The Sportzino shut down comes after the SWC got Legendz, another sweepstakes platform, to shut down in April 2025, as well as Bovada, an offshore sportsbook, in November 2024.
Thomas goes on to express a willingness to continue to target sweepstakes operators, stating that “licensed sportsbooks offer critical consumer protections that unlicensed operators do not, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners in this effort.”
Back in July, the SWC fined five offshore sportsbooks $50,000 each, including BetAnySports, Bookmaker, JazzSports, BetOnline, and Everygame, demonstrating their commitment to scrutinizing these operators.
As a sweepstakes casino that also offers sports picks, Sportzino is a bit more vulnerable because it has two separate types of gaming activity that could be targeted by authorities.
Unlike traditional sweepstakes platforms that primarily focus on slot-style or social casino games, Sportzino’s inclusion of sports prediction contests places it in closer alignment with regulated sports wagering products. This dual structure increases the likelihood of regulatory overlap, making it harder for the operator to argue that its offerings fall outside Tennessee’s gambling statutes.
Additionally, regulators may view the blending of casino-style games and sports picks as creating greater consumer risk. From a compliance standpoint, sweepstakes casinos and sports wagering have distinct regulatory expectations, and Sportzino’s decision to combine them effectively doubled its exposure to enforcement.
Sportzino’s excluded states list now includes:
The cumulative effect of these restrictions is a shrinking U.S. footprint for Sportzino, limiting its ability to scale nationwide compared to licensed sportsbook competitors. At the same time, these exclusions highlight the fragmented regulatory landscape that sweepstakes-based platforms must navigate, with each state drawing different boundaries around what constitutes legal play.
Thrillzz is a sweepstakes casino that also offers sports picks, similar to Sportzino. With Sportzino forced to shut down in Tennessee, it’s possible that Thrillzz could emerge as a potential target for the SWC.
We’ve already seen Thrillzz forced to leave Arizona due to legal pressures earlier this year, a battle which the company walked away from quickly after receiving a cease-and-desist.
While the platform remains available in Tennessee for now, its dual offering of casino-style sweepstakes and sports prediction contests creates the same type of regulatory exposure that made Sportzino vulnerable. If Tennessee regulators continue their pattern of enforcement against operators blending these two verticals, Thrillzz may face heightened scrutiny in the near future.
Moreover, the SWC’s track record, which includes compelling offshore sportsbooks and sweepstakes platforms alike to exit the state, suggests that they are willing to act decisively when an operator is perceived to blur the line between social gaming and unlicensed wagering. For Thrillzz and similar companies, this raises strategic questions about whether to adapt their product models or risk regulatory confrontation.
