Louisiana looking to go live with sports betting this October

Louisiana is on track to Launch Sports Betting this coming October

The launch of legal sports betting in Louisiana has suffered delays due to Hurricane Ida. However, the state’s Gaming Control Board remains confident of launching in early October. Ronnie Johns, chairman of the Gaming Control Board, recently told the USA Today Network that the Pelican State is targeting Oct. 1 as a potential launch date.

Johns said that due to the hurricane, all of the state’s police troopers (in the agency’s Gaming Enforcement Division) were “reassigned to disaster recovery for about a week.” Johns confirmed that this meant they lost about ten days in the pursuit of launching sports betting, but “everything is back on track now.”

Johns stated that they had been predicting to launch by late September, but the goal now “is to have them up and running by Oct. 1.”

Casinos to Launch First

Retail sportsbooks at land-based casinos, racetracks, or one of the 20 riverboat casinos in the state will be the first place to accept sports bets in Louisiana. Johns confirmed that eight casinos have applied for gaming licenses.

Caesars has already been pushing its presence in the state by advertising its own Caesars sportsbook at the New Orleans Caesars facility. Additionally, the company has the naming rights for the Louisiana Superdome.

Louisiana’s online launch will take longer due to the strict regulatory and licensing process that operators must pass. The licensing process has yet to start.

Johns said that mobile gaming takes longer because casinos “use outside vendors to do that work,” with those vendors yet to receive a license. He added that they must go through the suitability process, which includes background checks with the State Police. Johns noted that they hope to have “some of those approved in a 60-day window.”

Louisiana Sports Betting Background

In August, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board gave the go-ahead for emergency sports betting regulations platform provider and licenses application forms. Consequently, the state took a big leap closer to a retail and online launch.

When sports wagering was brought to the ballot in November 2020, voters in 55 of the 64 parishes approved it. Louisiana will approve 20 licenses among the 15 existing casinos and racinos. There will be two skins permitted per license. Additionally, there will be a 15% tax on online bets and a 10% tax on retail wagers.

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