Louisiana Sports Betting

Online sports betting apps and retail sportsbooks are legal in Louisiana. The first Louisiana sportsbooks opened in October 2021, and mobile betting apps debuted on January 28th, 2022.

After residents in 55 of 64 parishes voted yes to Louisiana sports betting in the November 2020 election, lawmakers drafted legislation to implement the will of the voters.

Governor John Edwards signed the enabling bills in 2021 to establish a tax rate, create a legal framework, and distribute Louisiana sports betting revenue.

Read on to learn more about how to get started with Louisiana sports betting sites and claim lucrative new player registration bonuses.

Legal Louisiana Betting Sites

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GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER. 21+ and present in LA (permitted parishes only). If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-877-770-STOP.

Note: Only bettors physically located in parishes that voted to legalize sports betting may place real-money wagers. Bettors in Caldwell, Catahoula, Franklin, Jackson, LaSalle, Sabine, Union, West Carroll, or Winn parish can still sign up and deposit, but they must visit any other parish to place their wagers.

Other forms of legal online betting in Louisiana include daily fantasy sports and horse racing betting. Land-based gambling options include tribal casinos, riverboat casinos, racetrack-casinos (racinos), and the state lottery.

Louisiana Online Sports Betting Apps

With 20 casinos each permitted to operate two online sports betting skins and the state lottery to operate one, the Louisiana online sports betting market can support up to 41 mobile sportsbook brands at full capacity.

As a result, Louisianans can expect to see most of the country’s prominent online sportsbooks enter the market. The current list of sports betting apps available in Louisiana is:

Louisiana Sports Betting Bonuses

Louisiana’s open market approach to licensing encourages a favorable environment for betting bonuses and promotions.

Large operators with big marketing budgets have opened their wallets in the race to capture new customers in the Louisiana sports betting market.

Bettors can use the above promo codes and registration links to get site credit, bonus bets, and other incentives for signing up and making their first deposits.

The two most common new player sports betting bonuses at Louisiana online sportsbooks are:

  • Bonus bets: Bettors who lose their first wager receive a refund, either in the form of bonus bets (worse) or site credit (better). Those who win their first bet do not get anything out of the promo.
  • Deposit match bonus: Some Louisiana sportsbooks will partially or fully match a bettor’s first deposit with bonus funds. Bonuses are usually subject to wagering requirements, which can range from as low as 1x up to 25x or higher. The lower the wagering requirement, the better.

Louisiana Sports Betting Promotion Regulations

Louisiana law addresses sports betting promotions in passing and marketing in more detail, but it does not go into extensive detail on bonus offers and promotions. However, state law requires operators to adhere to numerous consumer protection regulations.

For example, Louisiana betting apps must establish and submit for approval internal controls regarding customer account security, responsible gambling, patron disputes, withdrawals, and more.

More importantly, the Louisiana Gaming Board reserves the right to issue and revoke sports betting licenses based on the “character and reputation” of licensees.

As such, Louisiana sportsbook operators have strong incentives to ensure they treat customers fairly.

In addition, regulations adopted by the Board require operators to ensure advertisements (and promotions by extension) adhere to the following requirements:

  • Do not contain “false or misleading information”
  • Do not “fail to disclose conditions or limiting factors”
  • Provide information on problem gambling treatment or counseling and a hotline customers can contact for help

Additionally, Louisiana sports betting regulations require licensed sportsbooks to comply with general gambling promotion guidelines found in LA Admin Code III § 2953.

Louisiana Sports Betting Locations

Each of Louisiana’s 20 casinos may apply for licenses to operate a retail sportsbook to accept wagers in-person.

The first Louisiana retail sportsbook locations opened in October 2021.

  • Caesars Sportsbook at Harrah’s New Orleans
  • Caesars Sportsbook at Horseshoe Bossier City
  • L’Auberge Casino Lake Charles Sportsbook
  • L’Auberge Casino Baton Rouge Sportsbook
  • DraftKings Sportsbook at Golden Nugget Casino Lake Charles
  • DraftKings Sportsbook at The Queen Baton Rouge
  • FanDuel Sportsbook at Amelia Belle Casino
  • The Sportsbook at Boomtown New Orleans
  • The Sportsbook at Boomtown Biloxi
  • The Rez Sportsbook at Coushatta Casino
  • FanDuel Sportsbook at Delta Downs
  • FanDuel Sportsbook at Evangeline Downs
  • ESPN Bet Sportsbook at Margaritaville
  • FanDuel Sportsbook at Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino, Shreveport
  • FanDuel Sportsbook at Treasure Chest Casino
  • The Sportsbook at Louisiana Downs
  • Fair Grounds Race Course Sportsbook

Additionally, Louisiana casinos may partner with up to two operators to launch up to two online sports betting skins apiece.

Each casino must pay a $250,000 application fee and an additional $500,000 licensing fee once approved. Each license is valid for five years.

Where To Bet On Sports In Louisiana

Legal sports betting in Louisiana is available in 55 of the state’s 64 parishes.

Legal online sports betting apps and retail sportsbooks may take wagers from anyone located in those 55 parishes. They block wagers originating from the nine parishes that voted no in the November 2020 referendum.

Louisiana sports betting apps use geolocation technology to automatically block wagers from restricted parishes, but sports fans in those parishes may travel into an accepted parish to place bets.

Bettors in the following Lousiana parishes may not place sports wagers while located within parish lines:

  • Caldwell
  • Catahoula
  • Franklin
  • Jackson
  • LaSalle
  • Sabine
  • Union
  • West Carroll
  • Winn

Every other parish, including Ascension, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafayette, Livingston, Orleans, Ouachita, Rapides, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa has legal online sports betting.

Louisiana Sports Betting Basics

In June 2021, Louisiana lawmakers approved the final pieces of legislation needed to legalize and regulate sports betting. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) handled the rest by adopting additional necessary regulations and reviewing licensing applications.

Louisiana sports betting law permits the state’s 20 casinos to apply for sports betting licenses. Each licensed casino may operate a retail sportsbook and up to two mobile online sports betting brands (or “skins”).

Additionally, the state lottery may operate sports betting kiosks and one online sports wagering application.

Customers must be 21 or older and located within one of the 55 parishes that approved sports betting to participate.

When Did Louisiana Sports Betting Launch?

In-person and online sports betting are live in Louisiana.

Louisiana’s first retail sportsbook opened at the tribal-owned Paragon Casino in early October 2021, and additional sportsbooks at commercial casinos launched a short time later.

Thirteen of Louisiana’s 20 commercial casinos applied for sports betting licenses, and a growing number have already opened their doors to in-person sports betting.

Louisiana online sports betting began in January 2022 with the synchronized launch of six betting apps.

Key Louisiana Sports Betting Regulations

  • Mobile sportsbook apps and retail sports betting approved
  • State lottery may operate an online sportsbook and install sports betting kiosks at bars and restaurants
  • Sportsbooks may offer wagers on professional and college sports, esports, the Olympics, and other competitive events approved by the LGCB
  • Louisiana sportsbooks may not offer proposition bets on individual college athletes
  • Fans must be 21 or older to bet on sports in Louisiana
  • Sportsbook operators pay a 10% tax on wagers taken in-person and 15% on bets taken online

How Louisiana Legalized Sports Betting

Louisiana voters and lawmakers legalized sports betting in several phases over 2020 and 2021.

First, the legislature approved SB 130 in June 2020 to authorize a statewide referendum on sports betting in the next election. Governor Edwards signed the bill into law, clearing the way for residents to voice their opinion on sports betting during the November 2020 election.

The measure asked voters in each parish a single question:

Proposition to Authorize Sports Wagering Activities

Shall sports wagering activities and operations be permitted in the parish of [parish name]?

Yes ( )

No ( )

Most parishes voted yes, prompting the legislature to begin crafting the laws needed to legalize and regulate sports betting in Louisiana. In the end, lawmakers passed three sports betting bills to implement the will of the voters.

  • SB 247: Louisiana Sports Wagering Act
  • HB 697: Establishes taxes and fees for sports betting
  • SB 142: Appropriates sports betting tax revenue to various state programs, including the Behavioral Health and Wellness Fund, Sports Wagering Purse Supplement Fund, and Sports Wagering Local Allocation Fund
  • Emergency Regulations: The Louisiana Gaming Control Board adopted emergency sports betting regulations in Fall 2021 to expedite the launch of legal sportsbooks and online sports betting apps. The emergency regulations provide more detailed rules on the conduct of licensed sportsbooks.

Louisiana Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily fantasy sports are legal and regulated in most Louisiana parishes.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board oversees fantasy sports and has issued two DFS licenses to date:

Fans can read more about Louisiana fantasy sports laws, licenses, and which parishes have authorized DFS contests:

Louisiana Horse Racing Betting

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In-person and online horse racing betting are legal under Louisiana law. The Louisiana Racing Commission oversees race tracks, off-track betting facilities, and the conduct of pari-mutuel wagering within the state.

Advance deposit wagering (online/mobile betting) is authorized by LA Rev Stat § 4:149.5, which delegates the regulation of online betting to the Louisiana Racing Commission.

Louisiana Online Horse Racing Betting

Several horse racing betting sites offer their services in Louisiana for customers 18 and older. Each of these sites is headquartered in the United States and adheres to federal gambling laws to provide customers a legal, safe experience.

Other than the advantage of convenience, online horse betting provides the benefit of track selection. Customers can bet on quarter horses, thoroughbreds, harness races, and greyhounds at hundreds of race tracks around the world.

Off-track betting facilities (OTBs) are also legal and licensed in Louisiana.

Each OTB is associated with a specific racetrack, and the Louisiana Racing Commission maintains an up-to-date list of off-track betting locations in Louisiana.

Louisiana Online Gambling

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Louisiana does not regulate online gambling, and there are no efforts underway at this time to change that. Lawmakers have looked at legalizing online casinos and poker sites in the past but have not revisited the issue recently.

Note: Sweepstakes gambling sites offer casino style games to players in Louisiana.

In 2013, State Representative Mike Huval filed HCR3 to request the state study the potential impact of legalizing and regulating online gambling in Louisiana.

In the bill, Huval acknowledged that citizens already place bets online with offshore providers. With people playing without safeguards and the state missing out on potential tax revenue, he wanted to see if licensing Louisiana online casinos and poker sites could make it safer for the players while simultaneously raising revenue for the state.

The bill sought to obtain input from the governor, gaming control board, and state police gaming division.

State police and the gaming commission responded that regulation presents several challenges and issues worth considering. They also concluded that if the state did pursue regulation, it would need to figure a way to detect violations of gaming law, set up a system to ensure regulatory compliance, and implement safeguards for gaming addicts and underage gamblers.

A new effort to legalize Lousiana online gambling materialized in 2018 with the introduction of SB 322 seeking to legalize online gambling at the parish level by calling for every parish in Louisiana to hold a public referendum asking voters whether they approve of online gambling.

SB 322 was more of a placeholder than anything else, as it was short on details.

In addition to calling for a parish-by-parish referendum, the bill sought to establish a minimum age of 21 to play, casinos to apply for online gambling licenses, and the LGCB to provide regulatory oversight.

Lawmakers eventually shelved SB 322 before it progressed very far.

Louisiana Sports Betting FAQ

Louisiana enforces a minimum age of 21 to bet on sports in-person and online.

Mobile sports betting apps are legal in most parishes, including all the most populous parishes. When Louisiana asked the residents of each parish whether they would like to authorize sports betting, voters in 55 of 64 parishes said yes.

The only parishes that do not permit sports betting are Caldwell, Catahoula, Franklin, Jackson, LaSalle, Sabine, Union, West Carroll, and Winn.

Mobile sportsbooks use geolocation technology to prevent Louisiana sports bettors from placing wagers when located in one of the nine parishes that opted out of Louisiana online sports betting.

However, Lousiana bettors in restricted parishes can still download betting apps to register and fund their accounts. Then, they may place wagers any time they visit any of the other 55 parishes where Louisiana sports betting sites are legal.

Yes. Louisiana regulations permit fans to place bets on college sports teams and games, including games involving local universities. However, Louisiana betting sites may not offer prop bets on individual college athletes. For example, over/under wagers on how many points a specific player will score during the next game are prohibited.

Yes.

Louisiana evaluates esports events on a case-by-case basis to determine if sportsbooks may offer wagers on any particular event. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board states it will only consider a request from a sportsbook to offer wagering on an esports event if it is sanctioned by the eSports Integrity Commission (ESIC) and the sportsbook is an anti-corruption supporter with ESIC.

Louisiana law is quite permissive regarding the leagues and types of wagers operators may offer. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board provides a complete list of authorized sporting events.

In short, bettors may place wagers on professional and college sports, international leagues, the Olympics, motor racing, esports, and many niche sports such as college rowing, lacrosse, competitive eating, and so on. Louisiana law also allows sportsbooks to accept wagers on the Academy Awards and Emmy Awards.

Yes, but only if you visit another state where sports betting is legal. Louisiana betting sites employ sophisticated software to prevent bettors from placing wagers if they cross state lines into a jurisdiction that lacks legal sports betting.

Bettors may still access their accounts, make deposits, and initiate withdrawals from out of state, but they must be physically located in a state with legal online sports betting to place wagers.

Louisiana betting apps and retail sportsbooks may not accept customers who are:

  • Under 21 years old
  • Physically located in a parish that does not permit sports betting
  • Employed by the sportsbook at which they are attempting to place a wager or are family members living in the same household as an employee
  • Self-excluded from sports betting and gambling
  • Athletes, coaches, referees, or staff of an individual or team who is participating in the event for which they are attempting to place a wager

LA Rev Stat § 27.15.1 grants the Louisiana Gaming Control board “all regulatory authority, control, and jurisdiction, including investigation, licensing, and enforcement, and all power incidental or necessary to such regulatory authority, control, and jurisdiction over all aspects of sports wagering activities and operations…”

Readers can see BettingUSA’s recommendations near the top of this page for a list of online sportsbooks and betting apps that are legal and licensed in Louisiana. BettingUSA maintains a strict policy of only recommending legal sportsbooks in the USA.

Louisiana sports betting law is codified at LA Rev Stat § 27:601-628.

Yes. Fans 18 or older can visit Louisiana race tracks, off-track betting facilities, and licensed horse racing betting sites to watch and wager on the Kentucky Derby.