Louisiana Sports Betting

Home to the world-famous Mardi Gras festival, Louisiana is one of the most vibrant US states. Not only does the state house the tallest capitol building in the US, it is also home to the city of New Orleans which is famous for its jazz music scene and colonial-era French Quarter. On top of Louisiana’s rich cultural history, the state also has a colourful history when it comes to gambling, due to the changing gambling laws over the years. Almost all forms of gambling were illegal at one point, which has forced the state’s gambling companies to adapt to the changing environment. Louisiana currently offers a variety of gambling options  to its residents and visitors.

Is it legal to bet on sports in Louisiana?

Louisiana residents and visitors can currently only wager on horse racing and greyhound racing events both online and at land-based establishments. In 2018 a number of sports betting bills were introduced, meaning Louisiana could expand its sports betting offerings in the future.

In March 2018, State Representative Major Thibaut, introduced Louisiana’s first sports betting bill, HB245. This bill called for sports betting to be permitted at the state’s four racetracks: The Fair Grounds Race Course, Louisiana Downs, Evangeline Downs and Delta Downs.

The bill called for a referendum to take place in each of the state’s parishes, giving voters the chance to vote on legalizing sports betting in the US. If the voters of each Louisiana parish approved, the race courses would have been able to begin taking wagers on sports. This bill did not move forward this year, but it could be revived in next year’s session.

In October 2018, representative Kirk Talbot, introduced a bill to legalize daily fantasy sports in Louisiana. During the November 2018 mid-term elections, Louisiana held a vote on the legalization of daily fantasy sports. According to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, 47 out of 64 parishes voted to legalize daily fantasy sports, which is a positive step towards legalizing sports betting in future legislative sessions.

The 47 parishes that voted to legalize daily fantasy sports in Louisiana are:

• Acadia
• Ascenion
• Assumption
• Bienville
• Bossier
• Caddo
• Calcasieu
• Cameron
• Claiborne
• Concordia
• De Soto
• East Baton Rouge
• East Carroll
• East Feliciana
• Evangeline
• Iberia
• Iberville
• Jefferson
• Lafayette
• Lafourche
• Lincoln
• Livingston
• Madison
• Natchitoches
• Orleans
• Ouachita
• Plaquemines
• Pointe Coupee
• Rapides
• Red River
• St. Bernard
• St. Charles
• St. Helena
• St. James
• St. John the Baptist
• St. Landry
• St. Martin
• St. Mary
• St. Tammany
• Tangipahoa
• Tensas
• Terrebonne
• Vermillion
• Washington
• Webster
• West Baton Rouge
• West Feliciana

Where will I be able to place bets on sporting events in Louisiana?

While there aren’t yet any concrete plans detailing where punters will be able to bet on sports in Louisiana bill HB245’s proposal that sports betting would be possible at the state’s racetracks could indicate that legal sportsbooks would open at pre existing establishments. Although the bill was unsuccessful this is a strong indicator that any efforts to legalize sports betting in the future will suggest opening sportsbooks at racetracks in the state.

What sports will I be able to bet on?

It’s not yet clear which sports Louisiana residents will be able to bet on in addition to the current greyhound and horse racing markets, though bill HB245 did contain provisions for betting on

any type of sports event. This included football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, tennis, wrestling, jai alai, and other sports contests. No reference was made to college sports but if Louisiana is to follow the example set by other states like New Jersey and Delaware, it is likely that wagering on college sports will be allowed, with the exception of events that involve the Louisiana schools.

What else can I bet on in Louisiana?

The state of Louisiana has a number of legal and regulated gambling options available for residents and visitors. Wagering on horse racing is permitted, along with a state lottery. Casino gambling is also permitted with a combination of riverboat and tribal casino venues spread across the state. There are 24 venues in the state that offer a variety of gambling options including:

• Slots
• Craps
• Roulette
• Blackjack
• Poker
• Baccarat

The majority of Louisiana parishes voted to legalize daily fantasy sports, but it is now up to state regulators to craft regulation for the activity. This means that, daily fantasy sports won’t be available until regulators can agree on legislation that regulates the activity. The prediction is for daily fantasy sports to launch in fall of 2019.

However, when it comes to online casinos and poker sites in Louisiana, these are completely outlawed. State law that prohibits online gambling dates back to 1997 and makes “gambling by computer” a crime, punishable by a fine of up to $500 and up to six months in prison. The law states: “gambling by computer is the intentional conducting, or directly assisting in the conducting as a business of any game, contest, lottery, or contrivance whereby a person risks the loss of anything of value in order to realize a profit when accessing the Internet, World Wide Web, or any part thereof by way of any computer, computer system, computer network, computer software, or any server.”

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board has recently stated that it has no opinion when it comes to online gambling which, although a neutral standpoint, does give legislators room to maneuver and possibly legalize online gambling further down the line.

In March 2018, a bill named SB 322 sought to legalize online gambling at parish level. The bill called for a referendum in each parish, in which voters would decide whether to allow online gambling in that parish. The bill was unsuccessful, mainly due to its lack of detail, but there were some key points that could carry over to future legislation. The bill called for online gambling to have a minimum age of 21 and the Louisiana Gambling Control Board would be responsible for overseeing the activity, restricting licenses to the state’s existing casinos.

While online gambling is outlawed in Louisiana, social casino games act as a substitute. Residents can play these online games for fun, without wagering real money, with Zynga, Big Fish, Slotomania and Double Down as some of the most popular social casino games. Louisiana’s Harrah’s casino also has a social casino platform but, because some games have real-world prizes, these games fall into a grey area as they could be misinterpreted as online gambling.

Are offshore gambling sites legal in Louisiana?

Just like online gambling, offshore gambling sites are illegal in Louisiana. Aside from legality, we’d recommend steering clear of offshore gambling and sports betting sites because of their lack of regulation. This means they may not be secure or may not have measures in place to protect vulnerable players. You also have no way of finding out who is handling the money you deposit into an online account.You can spot offshore gambling sites by looking at the website’s domain name. If you see a domain that ends in .EU or .AG it does not hold a license to operate in Louisiana and therefore should be avoided at all costs.

Will it be safe to bet on sports in Louisiana?

Due to the strict gambling, it’s likely that, if Louisiana sports betting does become legal, there will be a strong regulatory framework to ensure sports betting is safe and fair for everyone involved. However, it’s also important to take steps to ensure you gamble responsibly and never bet more than you can afford to lose. There are plenty of resources available if you believe that you, or a loved one, may be suffering from a gambling problem. The National Council on Problem Gambling, Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling and The Louisiana Department of Health can provide support and resources in this area.

You can contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline via:

Phone: 1-800-522-4700
Text: 1-800-522-4700
Online chat

You can contact the Louisiana Problem Gambling Helpline via:

Phone: 1-877-770-STOP
Fax: 1-318-220-7579
Email: [email protected]

Who regulates gambling in Louisiana?

Gambling in Louisiana is regulated by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board is responsible for monitoring gambling activity in the state and ensuring that gambling operations are fair, safe, legal and fun. When it comes to horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering in Louisiana, it’s the Louisiana Racing Commission that’s responsible.

How old do I have to be to gamble in Louisiana?

The legal age to play the Louisiana state lottery and to bet on horse racing is 18, but you’ll need to be at least 21 to play casino games in Louisiana.

The journey to legal and regulated sports betting in Louisiana

1753 – The state Governor, Louis Billouart de Kerlérec, opened the states first government-run casino. This signified that gambling was legal in the state.

1812 – Louisiana banned gambling in the state with the exception of New Orleans, which was able to host gambling activities.

1866 – The first Louisiana lottery was created

1895 – The state moved to make gambling in New Orleans illegal, outlawing gambling across all of Louisiana.

1920 – The state revised its laws and legalized pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing.

1991 – Louisiana gambling laws loosened their grip. A new state lottery was launched. The state also granted 15 riverboat casinos permission to begin operations and video poker machines were permitted. The first land-based casino was also approved.

1992 – Congress passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) prohibiting sports betting across US states. Four states were made exempt from the law: Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana. These states had legal sports betting regulations in place.

1993  – Three Native American tribal groups negotiated and entered into tribal compacts with the state so that they could open casino establishments on their land.

1997 –The state gave race tracks the permission to extend gambling options and offer casino-style games, legalizing racinos in the state.

2002 – The very first tribal gaming establishment was built in Louisiana.

2013 – A committee to explore the viability of online gambling was established.

2018 – In March 2018, State Representative Major Thibaut, introduced Louisiana’s first sports betting bill, HB245. This bill called for sports betting to be permitted at the states four racetracks: The Fair Grounds Race Course, Louisiana Downs, Evangeline Downs and Delta Downs. The bill was unsuccessful.

On 14 May, the Court reached a decision. In a 7 – 2 vote it was agreed that one of the clauses in PASPA violated the Tenth Amendment, as it commandeered power from states to regulate their own gambling industries. This paved the way for all US states to decide whether or not to legalize sports betting. In the weeks after the repeal of PASPA a number of US sportsbooks launched across the country.

In October 2018 a bill to legalize daily fantasy sports in Louisiana was introduced. During the 2018 mid-term elections held in November, the state of Louisiana held a vote to legalize daily fantasy sports. According to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, 47 of the states 67 parishes voted to legalize daily fantasy sports.

It is important to remember that Louisiana has yet to legalize sports betting and that state lawmakers are considering legislation at the moment. We will continue to update this page as the situation develops.