Legalized sports betting has trickled down from the Northeast, into the Midwest and out toward the Pacific. While the South, remains slower to actualization, Louisiana is on its way to having regulated wagering.
With two surrounding states already with operational and legal sports betting, voters in the Pelican State showed resounding support in November 2020 for integrating the industry.
Residents voted to approve regulated betting in 55 of 64 parishes in Louisiana. As a result, lawmakers can move forward with additional legislation and craft a regulatory framework that would allow those 55 parishes to feature legalized sports betting.
The public will likely have to wait until fall 2021, though. Now that voters have approved legalization, lawmakers will still need to return to work and pass two more bills: one for language in regulation and licensing procedures, and another to set the tax rate.
Regardless, legalized sports betting is on its way to Louisiana.
Before any timeline could truly be set, Louisiana first had to legalize sports betting, which will tab the Louisiana Gaming Control Board as the regulatory authority.
In November 2020, voters in 55 of 64 parishes did just that.
If even one parish approved of legalized sports betting, legislators could move forward with two additional bills addressing licensing, regulation and taxation. Certainly it is worth celebrating the great support voters showed for regulated wagering. However, as some parishes did not sign off on the measure, Louisiana faces a fractured industry statewide.
In any case, lawmakers will return next year to draft a few more bills on the industry’s specifics, potentially setting up a fall 2021 launch of regulated sports betting in Louisiana.
Louisiana lawmakers carried a bill to legalize sports betting and daily fantasy sports to the goal line in 2019. But on the final day of the session, it didn’t receive enough support to move forward.
In 2020, however, several legislators shouldered the load to make another push.
Several bills emerged to put the question to legalize wagering in front of voters, with some of those bills also including regulatory language that restricted betting to casino properties without the option for online wagering.
The measure that ultimately made it through simply asks voters if sports betting should be legal while also tabbing the Louisiana Gaming Control Board as the regulatory body.
Mobile wagering remains in question, though the possibility of it is not dead. The topic expects to be discussed next year.
As indicated, where you are able to place a bet depended on which parishes approve of legalization.
Only nine parishes did not support legalization:
Louisiana features 15 riverboats, four racinos and one land-based casino as well as three tribal casinos.
Property | Type |
---|---|
Boomtown Bossier City | Riverboat |
Eldorado Shreveport | Riverboat |
Horseshoe Bossier City | Riverboat |
Diamond Jacks Casino Bossier City | Riverboat |
Sam's Town Shreveport | Riverboat |
Margaritaville Resort Casino | Riverboat |
Isle of Capri Casino Lake Charles | Riverboat |
L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles | Riverboat |
Golden Nugget Lake Charles | Riverboat |
Amelia Belle | Riverboat |
Boomtown New Orleans | Riverboat |
Treasure Chest Casino | Riverboat |
Belle of Baton Rouge | Riverboat |
Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge | Riverboat |
L'Auberge Casino Baton Rouge | Riverboat |
Delta Downs | Racino |
Harrah's Louisiana Downs | Racino |
Evangeline Downs | Racino |
Fair Grounds | Racino |
Harrah's New Orleans | Land-based |
Coushatta Casino Resort | Tribal |
Cypress Bayou Casino & Shorty's | Tribal |
Paragon Casino Resort | Tribal |
The legal minimum age to gamble in casinos and play video poker in Louisiana is 21 years, while no one under the age of 18 can participate in the lottery or horse betting. As for regulated sports betting, the most common minimum age among states that have legalized the industry is 21.
Of course, this will be an area broached by lawmakers if voters approve the bill in November.
Requirements for how and where to sign up for legalized sports betting accounts have yet to be determined, obviously.
That said, based on other states, the process has typically followed a similar pattern.
No matter if bettors are signing up for a new account online or in person, the information they need to provide remains the same. These pieces of information allow operators to confirm identities as well as run background checks to determine if an individual is allowed to participate.
This information includes:
Of course, those signing up for online wagering will need to create usernames and passwords that allow them to access their accounts.
Once an account is created, individuals will then need to make a deposit in order to place wagers.
Typically, sportsbooks offer a variety of methods for funding accounts. The most common method is credit and debit cards, such as Visa and Mastercard.
Other ways include:
It should be noted that not all sportsbooks will offer all these options. Each operator will determine which methods are acceptable.
Additionally, some banks have flagged gambling sites. So when their customers attempt to use credit cards to fund their accounts, select banks decline those transactions.
For good measure, check back with PlayUSA before you submit a deposit request to your sportsbook of choice. Not only do we feature bonus offers from sportsbooks, but we also share exclusive deals not found anywhere else.
Similar to depositing, online sportsbooks usually offer multiple ways for bettors to cash out winnings, albeit with fewer available options.
As has been the case, many operators prefer to deliver withdrawals via electronic or paper checks. However, several other methods include:
Should Louisiana greenlight online sports betting, bettors physically must be within state lines. If not all parishes approve of the November bill, that creates a bit more of a hassle for lawmakers looking to capitalize on mobile wagering.
Creating a geofence around parishes that have signed off on legalization, for example, would be similar to states that do not allow for online betting while on tribal land.
Individuals do not need to be in Louisiana in order to create an account. But those looking to place bets would need to be within state lines.
Smack-dab in the heart of SEC country and home to several gritty pro teams, Louisiana boasts lovable franchises and colleges in a sports-hungry area of America.
The state is home to two pro teams: the New Orleans Saints of the NFL and the New Orleans Pelicans of the NBA. And, of course, perennial college football contender LSU, among other FBS colleges.
Depending on how lawmakers develop follow-up bills regarding regulations, Louisiana could offer the full gamut of possible betting markets.
Most states do, after all. And those types of bets include:
At this point, it’s hard to say exactly which operators will move into Louisiana.
However, existing casino companies in the state already offer regulated wagering elsewhere. Eldorado Resorts, for example, acquired Caesars Entertainment in 2020 and has a wide array of sports betting offerings in other states.
Should Louisiana elect to integrate online wagers, it’s a safe assumption that a variety of operators would be ready to set foot in the Pelican State and capture the hungry sports nuts in Louisiana.
The likes of DraftKings and FanDuel, for example, have shown aggressive expansion across the country, while established brands such as BetMGM and William Hill could likely enter the fold as well. Then consider bookmakers from overseas, such as PointsBet, and the potential for incoming operators increases even more.
Government-run gambling in Louisiana dates back hundreds of years. In fact, the first establishment cropped up in 1753, courtesy Gov. Louis Billouart de Kerlerec, who essentially conceded that cracking down on gambling had proven fruitless.
By 1866, the Louisiana State Lottery was formed, though it was shut down just 30 years later as government officials didn’t approve of residents supporting the group. Alleged corruption and other legal issues certainly didn’t help, either. The state lottery eventually returned in a landmark year for state gambling.
In 1991, 70 years after pari-mutuel wagering on horse races became legal, Louisiana approved a new lottery system as well as 15 riverboat casinos and video poker machines.
Two years later, three Native American tribes negotiated compacts with the state that included opening casinos on tribal land.
Expansion continued in 1997, as Louisiana authorized slot machines at racetracks.
Now, Louisiana features 20 state-regulated casinos and racinos as well as three tribal casinos.
In 2018, voters approved the legalization of daily fantasy sports in the state. But it was not until July 2020 when Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a bill to set the tax rate for the industry. By fall, the public will likely have the opportunity to participate in DFS.
This came on the heels of lawmakers pushing a bill through to ask voters if sports betting should be legal, which they will decide in November.
To be determined. In November 2020, voters in 55 of 64 parishes approved the legalization of sports betting. Now, lawmakers will reconvene and address whether online wagering should be authorized. For now, the answer is no.
Louisiana features 15 riverboat casinos and one land-based casino, as well as four racinos and three tribal casinos. Where retail sportsbooks open depends on which parishes approve of regulated sports betting.
Another to-be-determined aspect, depending on how lawmakers broach online sports betting. Should mobile be authorized, bettors likely won’t have to live in Louisiana but will need to be within state lines. And if not all parishes sign off on legalization, it could be that bettors need to be within the boundaries of select parishes.
It is expected this will be the case, should voters legalize sports betting. The list of professional and major college teams includes: