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Betting in the Bayou State: Louisiana Sportsbook Applications Now Open

Louisiana Sportsbooks

After prior delays, we are finally seeing movement regarding Louisiana sports betting. While regulators have been shy to give any specific start date, bettors in the state can expect to start placing bets at some point during the upcoming NFL season.

Plenty of Licenses to Spare

Today, Louisiana’s casinos and racetracks may start entering their bids for mobile betting licenses. Under the provisions, each of the state’s gambling establishments will be permitted a sportsbook license, if they choose to apply.

Beyond online and mobile platforms, the Gaming Control Board also approved plans for 1,000 in-person betting kiosks to be placed in bars and restaurants. However, these kiosks will be overseen by the Louisiana Lottery Corp, as opposed to the gaming commission.

What Took So Long?

The regulations outlined in Thursday’s Gaming Control Board meeting are considered emergency rules.” It is a procedure that allows state regulators to expedite plans that would have otherwise required lengthy and formal approval.

The emergency rule was likely necessitated by a brief political hiccup in the state last month. Just two weeks before the signing of HB697 and SB247, Louisiana’s gambling regulatory chairman silently delivered his resignation.

While there is much speculation as to why the chairman left his seat, it is assumed that he abandoned the role due to the possibility of having to testify before the Senate. Former Chairman Mike Noel previously served as State Police commander at the time of Ronald Greene’s fatal arrest in 2019.

Since then, videos and commentary have circulated questioning the integrity of Greene’s case handlers and the state’s police force. While the move may have saved Noel from self-incrimination, his absence in office prolonged the guidelines for legal sports betting in Louisiana.

Nonetheless, the state worked quickly, and the position was assumed by former state Senator Ronnie Johns.

The Future of LA Sportsbooks

Upon Johns’ hiring, regulators worked feverously to deliver on their promise to kick off state-based sportsbooks before the Super Bowl. Now, prospects are even brighter with some even predicting a September start date.

The Louisiana sportsbook options will only be available in the 55 parishes that approved of the legislation. This ruling stands for both in-person and online sports betting platforms. Furthermore, bettors must be 21+ to place legal wagers in the state.

Louisiana is only the next of several legal sports betting states to come. Legislation is being written and rewritten across the nation to bank in on this lucrative industry.

If you want to keep up with the latest news and legislation, we have a nifty tool to monitor bills in real-time. Feel free to visit our bill tracker and, while you’re at it, look around the rest of our site for all kinds of sports betting resources.

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