Admin November 20, 2024
Louisiana sports betting updates
Louisiana sports betting was officially legalized on June 22, 2021, when Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the state’s two final pieces of sports betting legislation into law.
Here’s a summary of Louisiana’s sports betting journey to date:
Nov. 13, 2024: Local lawmakers temporarily shelf a Louisiana online sportsbook tax increase. The proposed bill would raise the state’s tax rate on gross gaming wins from 15% to 51%.
Oct. 21, 2024: Louisiana’s handle rises above $350 million in September, which is a 30.9% year-over-year sports betting increase.
Sept. 26, 2024: Louisiana sports betting handle jumps 27% in August, making it over 35% more revenue compared to August 2023.
Aug. 31, 2024: Australian-owned ClutchBet announces exit from all U.S. markets, including Louisiana, on Sept. 16, 2024.
Aug. 27, 2024: Louisiana regulators issue Bovada with a cease-and-desist order, joining the growing the list of states cracking down on the unlicensed gambling operator.
Aug. 20, 2024: Louisiana’s sports betting handle hits an 11-month low after dropping again in July.
Aug. 15, 2024: Fanatics Sportsbook officially launches in Louisiana, making nine operators now available in the Bayou State.
July 24, 2024: Louisiana’s sports betting handle falls below $200 million in June and had a 17% drop compared to May’s number.
July 17, 2024: Louisiana authorities drop charges against Kayshon Boutte for gambling and fraud charges while at LSU.
May 22, 2024: Louisiana sports betting revenue continues to climb in April, exceeding $40 million in gross sports betting revenue.
May 10, 2024: Ronnie Johns retires as the chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board after three years in the position.
April 19, 2024: Louisiana sports betting soars with $350 million handle in March, continuing profitable 2024.
April 3, 2024: Louisiana to ban college player prop betting on August 1, 2024, joining 29 other U.S. states to prohibit the bet type.
March 25, 2024: The Louisiana Gaming Control Board announces a 20% month-over-month decline in February sports betting handle. Louisiana’s handle falls below $300 million for the first time in five months.
March 1, 2024: Louisiana House Bill — HB. 473 — proposes bump to sports betting promotions deduction limit to increase overall taxable revenue.
Feb. 22, 2024: Louisiana’s sports betting handle and revenue falls in January by over $30 million despite increased spending on betting promotion.
Jan. 30, 2024: ClutchBet launches its Louisiana online sportsbook.
Jan. 26, 2024: bet365 launches free-to-play fantasy contest in five states, including Louisiana, ahead of NFL Championship Weekend, offering a $25,000 prize pool for each game.
Jan. 23, 2024: Louisiana’s betting handle hits a record high in December, bringing in $377 million in bets, which was a 5.7% increase from November’s handle.
Dec. 21, 2023: Louisiana accepts $356.4 million in sports wagers in November, a 15.4% increase month-over-month.
Nov. 21, 2023: bet365 enters the legal Louisiana sports betting market. There are now eight online sportsbooks live in the Bayou State.
Nov. 14, 2023: ESPN BET goes live with online and mobile sports betting, launching in Louisiana and 16 other states.
Nov. 2, 2023: ESPN BET plans to launch on Nov. 14, 2023, with online sports betting going live in 17 U.S. states, including Louisiana.
Aug. 11, 2023: WynnBet — the legal sports betting and iGaming platform for Wynn Resorts — closes operations in six jurisdictions, including Louisiana.
June 2, 2023: LSU terminates its partnership with Caesars amid college and university sportsbook sponsorship scrutiny.
March 17, 2023: Louisiana’s sports betting handle falls 30% in February due to a lack of NFL action.
Feb. 20, 2023: Louisiana reports a record monthly sports betting handle to start 2023, hauling in $282.2 million in January.
Nov. 21, 2022: Sports betting in Louisiana hits a record high in October as the state records its largest handle — $255.5 million — to date.
Sept. 22, 2022: PointsBet launches in Louisiana, making it an even dozen states where U.S. players can access its online sportsbook.
Sept. 7, 2022: Ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held to inaugurate the opening of two new Louisiana Caesars retail sportsbooks: Caesars retail sportsbooks: Harrah’s New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City Hotel & Casino.
July 11, 2022: Caesars announces the opening of a new sportsbook at Harrah’s New Orleans this fall, in addition to an all-new World Series of Poker Room as part of a $325-million conversion of the space, soon to be renamed Caesars New Orleans.
April 25, 2022: BlueBet Holdings Ltd reaches a 10-year market access agreement with Louisiana Downs in Bossier City. BlueBet will operate a new online sportsbook in Louisiana under its U.S. brand, ClutchBet.
March 14, 2022: In its first full month with legal mobile wagering (February), Louisiana brought in a record $238 million in sports betting handle. Nearly 90% of that amount was due to online and mobile wagering.
Feb. 14, 2022: Payments platform Paysafe begins processing mobile sports betting deposits in Louisiana.
Feb. 10, 2022: Fubo Gaming reveals it has gained market access for Fubo Sportsbook in Louisiana via Caesars Entertainment, Inc.
Feb. 9, 2022: WynnBET launches online operations in Louisiana. BetRivers Sportsbook becomes the official betting partner of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Jan. 28, 2022: Louisiana officially launches legal online and mobile sports betting in 55 parishes, with six operators going live.
Jan. 26, 2022: Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns announces that LA will launch online wagering on Jan. 28, 2022, in the 55 parishes that voted in favor of sports gambling.
Jan. 25, 2022: WynnBET announces its pre-registration offer is now live in Louisiana. Bettors can make a deposit of $10 — followed by a $10 wager when the sportsbook launches — to receive $250 in free bets.
Jan. 20, 2022: A Louisiana Gaming Control Board meeting concludes with no mention of a launch date for mobile sports betting.
Jan. 12, 2022: Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chair Ronnie Johns tells Covers, “We are getting close to the rollout of mobile betting. I cannot give you a definitive date, but the Gaming Division at LA State Police is working overtime to get through the compliance and suitability issues with the vendors.” Johns also highlights geofencing technology as something the state needs to perfect. Nine LA parishes chose not to approve sports betting in November 2020.
Jan. 5, 2022: Boyd Gaming announces plans to begin construction of a 47,000-square-foot replacement for Treasure Chest Casino. The new land-based project is expected to get underway this summer in Kenner, LA, with the hopes of opening its doors late in 2023.
Dec. 9, 2021: After soft launches a day earlier, FanDuel officially opens two retail sportsbooks in Louisiana casinos — Treasure Chest Casino and Delta Downs. Three more FanDuel locations are expected to open their doors in the coming weeks.
Nov. 16, 2021: Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns reiterates the state’s focus on getting all 20 retail sportsbooks up and running in Louisiana. With eight locations operational and five licenses to be handed out in the coming weeks, LA will soon be left with seven properties that have yet to submit applications. Online and mobile sports betting will be next on the agenda.
Nov. 11, 2021: A ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the opening of the DraftKings Sportsbook at Golden Nugget Casino Lake Charles, while the Penn National Gaming run Sportsbook at L’Auberge opens its doors, too.
Nov. 8, 2021: DraftKings announces plans for a new retail sportsbook at Golden Nugget Casino Lake Charles, pending regulatory approvals.
Oct. 31, 2021: Caesars Sportsbook goes live at Harrah’s New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City Casino. The two retail locations are the first to offer legal sports betting at a Louisiana commercial casino.
Oct. 6, 2021: Louisiana sports betting is live as Paragon Casino Resort launches a Betfred Sportsbook — the first retail sportsbook in the state.
Sept. 30, 2021: WynnBET gained market access in Louisiana, which marked the 17th U.S. jurisdiction in which its platform has secured a footprint.
June 22, 2021: Gov. John Bel Edwards signs SB 142 and SB 247 into law. Edwards had signed a third piece of sports betting legislation, HB 697, on June 7.
May 2021: HB 697 and SB 247 move through the Senate. These bills outline sports betting tax rates — 10% and 15% on in-person and online bets, respectively — and the number of licenses (20) that will be made available.
Nov. 3, 2020: Voters in 55 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes agree to welcome sports betting into their communities.
May 14, 2018: SCOTUS (The Supreme Court of the United States) strikes down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). This sets the stage for legal sports betting in the United States and allows individual states to set their own rules and regulations.
