Louisiana Pre-files Legislation For Regulated Sportsbooks

Two mirroring bills have been pre-filed in the Louisiana State Legislature offering a landscape to the regulated sports betting market in the state.
The legislative session begins on April 12 in Louisiana and ends in June, giving the state two months to agree on how the sports wagering industry will be run.
If either one of these proposals passes, they will become official law on July 1, 2021.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Regulated sports betting in Louisiana was approved in 55 of the 64 parishes in November 2020 by way of public vote and two proposals have now been pre-filed for the 2021 session that would give structure to the new industry.

On Friday, the Louisiana State Legislature saw two bill filings for the sports wagering market. There is Senate Bill 195 that is sponsored by Senator Cameron Henry, the man who was able to get sports gaming on the ballot in 2020, and Senate Bill 202, sponsored by Senator Patrick Page Cortez.

Louisiana Sports Betting Bills & The Upcoming Legislative Session

The Louisiana sports betting market will most likely see a myriad of proposals that hope to give structure to the industry before the end of the session. The Louisiana State Legislature will be holding a short session in 2021, starting on April 12 and ending on June 10. By June, a bill to give the market a foundation to open up in the state will need to be passed.

Senate Bill 195 sees the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) as the regulatory body for the sports gaming market. Gamblers in the state must be 21 or over to participate in betting on both professional and collegiate sports. No tax rate has been detailed within the documents but it has been stated that the industry will follow the provisions of the Louisiana Sports Wagering Act.

Senate Bill 202 is almost an exact replica of Senate Bill 195.

Anyone working in the field of sports or sports betting in Louisiana will be prohibited from gambling on sporting events. Both retail and mobile sportsbooks are listed as being eligible for licensure should the state see passage for LA SB 195 or LA SB 202. Mobile sportsbook user accounts are subject to in-person registration at a land-based establishment before they can be used by players. Each platform is exclusive to the parish where it’s operating through.

Geofencing software will not allow access to sports betting applications outside of parish lines due to nine parishes prohibiting sports betting of any kind.

All operators will be required to renew their licenses every five years. A cashless system for wagering on sports will be implemented as is stated within the two bills. If either of these measures receives passage, they will be enacted into law on July 1, allowing regulated sport betting to officially go live in Louisiana if operators are ready to do so, on that date.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.