Sports Betting in Louisiana

Online sports betting apps went live on January 28, 2022. With BetMGM, Caesars, and DraftKings being amongst the six apps that are now live.

Sports betting in Louisiana was approved by voters during the election of 2020, with 55 of the 64 parishes in the state agreeing to legalize betting. Following this, June 7, 2021, saw Governor John Bel Edwards sign House Bill 697 into law. This bill ensures that the Louisiana Lottery Corporation regulates and controls the local sports betting, with a 10% tax on revenues going to the state.

The summary of the conditions for betting in Louisiana are:

• The Louisiana Lottery Corporation will oversee the sports betting industry within the state, separate from the gaming commission.
• No bets can be placed on high school or youth sporting events
• Athletes, coaches, and referees are not permitted to place sports bets on events in which they are involved.
• People who don’t live in a parish that approved sports betting can place wagers in other legalized parishes.
• The legal age for placing bets within Louisiana is 21 years or older.
• The tax rate for retail sportsbooks will be 10% of revenues with mobile apps paying 15% taxes on revenues.

Legal Sports Betting Options in Louisiana

So far, seven sportsbooks have launched in the state. But there are the laws in place to have as many as 40 mobile betting apps up and running. This is because each license holder can have two different skins.

Louisiana Sports Betting Apps

All the commercial casinos and racinos within state lines will be allowed to apply for an online license. Each successful casino applicant will be allowed to have one or two mobile sports skins or apps.

Seven apps are currently operating in Louisiana, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetRivers, Barstool, and WynnBet. The following online sports betting sites that appear to be launching soon are PointsBet, Fox Bet, and Golden Nugget.

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) and Online Poker in Louisiana

The state approved DFS play in 2018, and with bills being passed in 2020, almost three years later, there would be a vote to decide the outcome. Once the public approved of the move, the first licensed operators would launch, with DraftKings going live. FanDuel is also to soon join the marketplace, with plans to launch at the same time as sports betting.

With regards to online poker, there have been some attempts to legalize this form of betting within the state, with the Senate creating SB 322; however, the bill was opposed by video game operators in the state that claimed online casinos would affect their income.

The Path to Louisiana Legalizing Sports Betting

• May 2018 – The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, allowing states and territories such as Washington DC to decide for themselves the legality of sports betting.
• November 2020 – A Louisiana public vote ends with 56 of the 64 parishes in the state approving sports betting.
• February 2021 – The Louisiana Gaming Control Board begins to accept applications for DFS operators.
• June 2021 – Senate Bill 247 is approved in the House, with a vote of 78-15.
• June 2021 – Governor John Bel Edwards signs House Bill 697
• June 2021 – With Senate Bill 247 now approved, the Governor signs sports betting into law, creating Act 440, taking effect on July 1, 2021.
• October 2021 – Sports betting goes live at commercial casinos.
• January 2022 – Six online sportsbooks take their first bets.

Lousiana Sports Franchises

There are plenty of sports played within the state of Louisiana, home to two major league teams, high-quality college teams, hockey, rugby, soccer, based all, and even Australian football.

NBA: New Orleans Pelicans

These are a new team in terms of NBA standards, founded in 2002 with their original name of the New Orleans Hornets. The team has been the Pelicans since 2013 and plays from the Smoothie King Center with Willie Green as their head coach.

Despite their short career they have managed to build an impressive squad already and even won a division title in 2008. The team was lucky enough to get Zion Williamson on June 20, 2019, with a first overall draft pick. The power forward from South Carolina made the 2020 rookie first team and even made the NBA All-star roster in 2021. So with any luck, this huge addition to their lineup and some more building of their squad will help them become a thriving team in years to come.

NFL: New Orleans Saints

Founded in 1966 and playing their first season in the summer of love, or 1967, the Saints compete in the NFL, NFC South from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Playing in black and gold, with general manager Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton who has been in the coaching world since 1988 after a short football career as a player. After making the playoffs an impressive 14 times, the team has 9 division championships as well as winning a conference and the Super Bowl in 2009.

The team has some heated rivalries, one being with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who have also been part of the NFC South since 2002. The teams recently faced off in the playoffs, with Tampa winning 30-20, despite New Orleans having bested them twice in the regular season.