Louisiana

Whether it’s professional or collegiate sports, Louisiana has no shortage of teams. Since sports betting was passed in the state in January 2022, residents can wager on these teams across eight well-known mobile betting apps.

Louisiana has an excellent mix of professional and college teams throughout the state, and bettors have no restrictions on wagering on those teams. Residents are fully allowed to place bets on in-state colleges, and they also have access to some of the top daily fantasy sports apps on the market.

Horse racing was a part of the state well before the sports betting bill was introduced as well, so horse race betting is fully legal in LA as well. The two biggest things that residents cannot wager on are politics and eSports.

Online sports betting in The Pelican State

The state of Louisiana is divided into parishes, and in November 2020, when the sports betting bill was introduced for them to vote on, 55 of the 64 parishes voted for legalization. Technically, the state only needed one parish to say yes for the bill to be passed, but in this case, the more, the merrier.

After the vote, Governor John Bel Edwards would officially sign three sports betting-related bills in June 2021, which opened the door for retail betting to launch in October of that same year. The only places sports betting would not be authorized in the state would be in the nine parishes that voted against the bills.

The online sports betting market in Louisiana has not even begun to reach its full potential. Under the state's sports betting bill, 40 online sportsbooks are legally allowed to enter the market. Right now, there are just eight, but that list includes the biggest names in the market, including DraftKings, Caesars, BetRivers, FanDuel, and more.

Each online operator is partnered with one of the 20 retail locations available in the state, as each retail location is legally allowed to partner with two online skins. In addition to the retail locations, the Louisiana Lottery is also legally allowed to partner with an online operator, which would expand sports betting even more.

Growth in the online market is expected to continue, but it will likely be a slower process, as the state only welcomed two new operators to the market in 2023, after the six other operators have been a part of the betting scene since the launch in January of 2022. Between the sheer number of retail locations and also sports franchises in the state, Louisiana should be a favorable market location for operators to expand their reach.

All legal LA sports betting apps in 2024 (from newest to oldest):

Sports betting & gambling legislation in LA

While sports betting is legal in Louisiana, residents still need to ensure they follow the rules and regulations. For example, to place a legal wager in the state, a resident must be at least 21 years old. Additionally, customers do have the option for remote registration in LA, but they must be within the state line to play a wager on those mobile apps. In Louisiana, it is also important to remember that bettors must be within the 55 parishes that approve sports betting, as nine parishes in the state still oppose the bill.

All retail and online sportsbooks must follow the guidelines set by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, as they reward licenses and ensure each operator abides by the regulations laid out in the sports betting bill.

Since the purpose or goal of sports betting for most people is to win, it is also important to highlight the tax rate. On all winnings above $600, the state will withhold 4.25%, which is the highest individual state income tax rate. This is in addition to the federal tax rate of 24%.

Online casinos and online poker remain illegal in the state, but there does not seem to be a strong push to legalize them at the moment. However, with how well sports betting has done, there is always a chance a bill regarding online casinos will make its way onto the ballot at some point. With those two markets still unavailable, the only other gambling-related market that is offered down in the Bayou is the lottery.

Most recent updates from the LA sports betting scene

• May 16, 2024: The NFL has officially released the 2024 schedule, and the New Orleans Saints will open the season at home against the Carolina Panthers. The Saints are currently favored at (-4.5) for that matchup.

• May 11, 2024: Former LSU Tigers ace and number one pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Paul Skenes, has made his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The former LSU star is currently (+2000) to win NL Rookie of the Year.

• April 25th, 2024: LSU standout quarterback Jayden Daniels has been selected second overall in the 2024 NFL Draft to the Washington Commanders. He has the third-best odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year at (+900).

• April 15, 2024: Angel Reese, who was a key piece of the LSU women's basketball team that won a National Championship in 2022-23, has been selected by the Chicago Sky in the WNBA Draft. She is currently (+3500) to win Rookie of the Year.

• December 21, 2023: In November, Louisiana sees a record sports betting handle of $356.5 million, surpassing the previous high of $308.6 million set in October 2022. This figure represents a 15.5% increase and a 32.7% rise compared to November of last year. Online betting accounted for $322.9 million of the total handle.

• December 14, 2023: Cordish Companies begins constructing a $270 million land-based casino in Bossier City, Louisiana. The Live! branded venue is set to open in 2025, offering 47,000 square feet of gaming space with 1,000 slots, electronic table games, and over 40 live table games.

In-person sports betting sites and locations

Louisiana’s retail betting scene is a bit different than most states with legalized sports betting. There are 20 retail locations in the state, and they are broken into 15 riverboat casinos, one land-based casino, and four racetracks.

All of these locations are within the 55 parishes that agreed to the state’s sports betting bill, and thanks to that bill, each has the option to partner with two online operators.

• Amelia Belle (500 Lake Palourde Road, Amelia)

• Bally's Shreveport (451 Clyde Fant Parkway, Shreveport)

• Boomtown Bossier City (300 Riverside Drive, Bossier City)

• Boomtown New Orleans (4132 Peters Road, Harvey)

• Coushatta Casino (777 Coushatta Drive, Kinder)

• Delta Downs (2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton)

• Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino (2235 Creswell Lane Extension, Opelousas)

• Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots (1751 Gentilly Blvd, New Orleans)

• Golden Nugget Lake Charles (2550 Golden Nugget Blvd, Lake Charles)

• Harrah’s New Orleans (228 Poydras Street, New Orleans)

• Horseshoe Bossier City (711 Horseshoe Boulevard, Bossier City)

• Horseshoe Casino Lake Charles (100 Westlake Ave, Westlake)

• L’Auberge Casino Lake Charles (777 Ave L’Auberge, Lake Charles)

• L’Auberge Casino Baton Rouge (777 L’Auberge Ave, Baton Rouge)

• Louisiana Downs (8000 East Texas Street, Bossier City)

• Margaritaville Resort Casino (777 Margaritaville Way, Bossier City)

• Paragon Casino Resort (711 Paragon Place, Marksville)

• The Queen Baton Rouge (1717 River Rd, Baton Rouge)

• Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino Shreveport (315 Clyde Fant Pkwy, Shreveport)

• Treasure Chest Casino (5050 Williams Boulevard, Kenner)

Sports betting in neighboring states

Louisiana has three border states, two of which have legalized sports betting, and the other being Texas. Both Arkansas and Mississippi have been able to pass a sports betting bill, while Texas remains one of the biggest states not to offer any sort of legal sports betting.

To find out more about why Texas remains on the “no” list for sports betting legislation or which sportsbooks are available in Mississippi, you can select them in the box down below.

Sports betting revenue impact on Louisiana's economy

Louisiana’s first full year with legal sports betting was 2022, and by the end of the year, they had amassed over $2 billion in sports betting handle alone. This was a pretty strong indicator that LA would become one of the highest-earning states every month, and that rang true in 2023 as well.

The state's size and the market's size certainly impact a state's performance, and Louisiana is well off in both of those departments. Between the pre-existing casinos and prominent sports betting apps, it is not much of a shock that LA entered 2024 with a record-breaking month of over $50 million in revenue in December 2023.

When sports betting became legal in LA, 15 retail locations became eligible to receive licenses. These licenses allow these locations to offer retail and online wagering as long as they pay the $750,000 fee that comes with the license. The sports betting tax rates vary depending on whether the book is online or retail. Online books have to pay a 15% tax rate, while retail books have a rate of 10%.

Louisiana sports betting record months:

• Sports betting handle: December 2023 ($377,046,556)

• Revenue: December 2023 ($56,511,836)

• Tax income: December 2023 ($7,590,704)

LA sports betting revenue in 2024