Louisiana Online Sports Betting

Louisiana gambling law is an odd mix of permissive and restrictive statutes. Other than online and land-based sports betting, very nearly all forms of gambling popular in the U.S. are present in some form in Louisiana, and crystal-clear written regulations outline what is and isn’t legal. Video Poker Laws are cutting-edge and the state lottery system is popular.

With its warm climate, Louisiana is home to a variety of legal casino gambling options, from slot machines at race tracks to full-fledged commercial casinos, riverboat casinos, and tribal resorts, making it one of the nation’s prime locations for a gambling vacation․

You can now soon add a sports betting vacation to that list after the voters in 56 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes voted “Yes” in the referendum on Presidential Election Day in November 2020 to legalize sports betting

Louisiana’s 14 riverboat casinos and dozens of other commercial and tribal properties draw in millions of tourists to the state each and every year.

Louisiana has successful and long-established (however, quite separate) sports and gambling industries. On the sports side, Louisiana is home to NFL, NBA franchises and several of the biggest college football programs in the nation.

The strength of sports and gambling has led to Louisiana entering the legal world environment of betting on sports fray in March of 2018 with the introduction of a bill into the State Legislature. The bill has proposed legalizing sports betting at four of the state’s live horse racing facilities.

The bill calls for a referendum in each of the parishes in which sports betting would take place, as required by the Louisiana Constitution for any expansion of gambling. If the voters of each parish approve, race courses in all four parishes would be permitted to begin taking wagers on all manner of sports.

Of course, since May 2018 and the lifting of the Federal ban on sports betting by the U.S. Supreme Court, sports betting has now been handed back to each state for action.

Other bills (S 130 and H 357) have since been introduced to the Louisiana State Legislature looking to legalize sports betting at Louisiana’s commercial, tribal and riverboat casinos, and along with it, legalize DFS sites.

Given a successful state wide vote for sports betting in November 2020, it is thought that sports wagering will be a reality in Louisiana before the start of 2021/22 NFL season pending;

• Louisiana’s State Governor and lawmakers now agree on the licensing and tax laws during the State Legislative season beginning in January 2021 and;
• The licensing and regulatory laws will need to pass a two-thirds state senate majority and be signed off on by the State Governor, presumably sometime in 2021.

Sports Betting Online is currently unavailable in Louisiana (but expected within the next 2 years), and anything in the style of NJ online sports betting sites and other forms of online gambling as a whole is outlawed in the state of Louisiana.

Horse Racing Betting online is the only exception to the rule in Louisiana.

Debate on the state’s strict online gambling laws and online casino laws began in 2018 by State’s lawmakers on how sports betting can be legalized in Louisiana and refreshingly, that has now been resolved by the November 2020 referendum.

Lawmakers in the Federal judiciary have administered that Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) are exempt from Federal jurisdiction, as they have legally assessed DFS to be contest of skill, rather than a gambling game of chance.

At the Louisiana State Level, however, DFS participation is considered a form of gambling, which the state bans. Legislation will be required to be passed before a return of DFS sites in the state of Louisiana. As DFS is 100% an online activity, legislation may also be required that make DFS sites exempt from the Louisiana State Law on Online Betting.

Subsequently, for the time being at least, none of the major DFS sites are legalized to operate or to hold DFS contests in the state of Louisiana, for its residents or visitors to the Bayou state. However, that may change in 2021 after state lawmakers gave DFS the green light to begin, but the start date is still unknown.

Excluding horse racing, sports betting and eSports betting is still unavailable in Louisiana. Once sports betting becomes available in Louisiana, eSports betting should become popular.

The ‘eSports’ Phenomenon Explained

‘eSports’ is effectively video game play at the highest level possible, most often played in a team format (rather than individually) in leagues and tournaments worldwide. Software game development companies have launched their own pro leagues, and as live streaming technology has continued to improve, eSports competitions have been transformed into global betting events.

High-profile eSports such as Fortnite, Dota 2, League of Legends, Overwatch, CS:GO, and Call of Duty have their own league competitions with big global followings.

Developed sports betting markets such as Australia, Canada, and Britain, offer a range of betting markets across all major eSports tournaments.

Once sports betting is legalized in Louisiana, watch for eSports betting to be offered at your favorite sportsbook in the state.

Horse Racing Betting is completely legal (both online and on course/track side) for all visitors to, and residents of the state of Louisiana. Each state has been granted the right to rule on the legality of horse racing betting by Federal authorities. Consequently, many states permit their residents and visitors to bet on horse races both Track side, Off Track Betting and online. Many of the largest horse betting websites across the United States have a presence in the state of Louisiana.

Trackside

Louisiana currently has 4 live horse racing track facilities. Louisiana is one of the many states of the union where no greyhound racing track facilities exist, due to greyhound racing being illegal.

Off Track Betting (OTB) in Louisiana

Off track betting bureaus (OTBs) are widespread throughout Louisiana. Full betting on Horse Racing and Simulcast racing are offered at the extensive network of more than 15 OTB bureaus across the state. Betting on races in Louisiana, most major racing locations worldwide and of course, across the United States and are all available in Louisiana’s OTB’s.

Online Horse Racing

Major U.S. online horse racing betting sites all accept customers from the state of Louisiana and offer real money bets on horse racing (Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown etc.) for Louisiana residents and visitors to the state.

Visit our page on Louisiana’s gambling laws for our list of the top online casinos in the state