Louisiana DFS Bill Moves To Governor’s Desk After House Vote

• Louisiana House Bill 357 passed in the House a day before adjournment on June 1.
• The measure would make DFS online cash prize contests legal as long as the Governor approves.

BATON ROUGE, La. – A Louisiana Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) bill passed in the House on Sunday to move on to Governor John Bel Edwards’ desk for his signature.

House Bill 357 got its start as a referendum bill to legalize sports betting.

It was originally passed in the House of the Louisiana State Legislature in this form before changing paths with amendments to become a bill centered around allowing parishes with legal DFS to be regulated to participate in contests for cash prizes on the internet.

The Senate passed the newest form of legislation before it was bounced back to the House for a second approval due to the changes it underwent after it’s original passage.

The House passed the bill once again with 76 YEAS and 20 NAYS, giving it the majority vote to move on to the Governor.

House Bill 357

LA HB 357 would make the 47 parishes in Louisiana that offer legal DFS to be eligible to compete in various internet contests for cash prizes.

In 2018, the 64 parishes in the state voted on legalizing DFS in their towns to which 47 were in favor. These parishes will now have even more to gain with legal DFS should the Governor sign off on the bill to turn it into state law.

The Louisiana Legal Sports Betting Scene

The Louisiana State Legislature adjourns on June 1.

Despite having to move swiftly on many bills due to the Coronavirus pandemic causing lulls in the session, they have managed to pass two bills regarding the sports betting industry.

Senate Bill 130 that would have constituents vote on legalizing sports betting in their parish on the November 2020 ballot passed last week.

If the Governor gives the green light for this bill to move forward, it would create a legal sports betting industry as well.

These two bills will bring in much-needed revenue streams to the state if Edwards approves them both.

Trying to recoup the financial losses that were caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, the Louisiana State Legislature has chosen to see the positives that both legal sports betting and additions to the DFS industry could bring their economy.

The Positives

While legal sports betting would not be available until late 2021 to early 2022, it would still be helpful to an economy that is trying to come back from the Coronavirus crisis.

The damage that the pandemic has caused nationwide will be felt for years in terms of state budgets.

Gaming as a whole in the Pelican State brings in $1 billion in revenue annually and that’s without the revenue of these two bills added to the equation.

The final say on House Bill 357 and Senate Bill 130 will be known before July rolls around.

Governor Edwards has 20 days after officially receiving the bills to decide whether to sign or veto them. Allowing for a transparent and regulated market and generating profits from a new industry will surely be a factor that will be weighed in his decision.

The Louisiana legal sports betting industry could become a reality on a grander scale should both of these bills be signed into law for residents of the Pelican State.

News tags: DFS | John Bel Edwards | LA HB 357 | LA SB 130 | Louisiana