Louisiana Sports Betting

We all know that sports are huge in the South, especially football, so it’s no surprise that Louisiana would want to make sports betting legal. Luckily, this became a reality for residents and visitors to the Pelican State on June 2021!

Louisiana has two professional sports teams, the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans, that are loved by so many. Then there are the LSU Tigers that have the stadium packed with thousands of screaming fans each home game. Sports fans will be rejoicing come the fall when they can actually place bets on their favorite teams. If you’re interested in knowing everything we do about when sports betting will be legal, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to stay up-to-date and in the know.

What’s the Latest News about Legal Sports Betting in Louisiana?

As of June 2021, a bill legalizing online sports betting flew through the Louisiana House, and with approval from the Senate and a quick signature from Governor John Bel Edwards, sports fans have the chance to place their bets as soon as September.

Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) was approved in 47 (out of 64) parishes at the end of 2018 by Major Chuck McNeal of the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division and is said to be fully legal before the fall as long as the DFS platforms have their t’s crossed, their i’s dotted, and all their required paperwork is in order. Stacie Stern, the Governmental Affairs Director at FanDuel, has since confirmed that this will not be a problem and has been actively working alongside the Louisiana Gaming Board to become a possibility.

Editor’s Note: This information was published on August, 2023. We will continue to update our readers with the latest news. 

When did Sports Betting become Legal in Louisiana?

Sports betting became officially legal as of November 2020 when voters in the 64 parishes checked the yes box to the question, “Shall sports wagering activities and operations be permitted in [parish]?” Voters in 55 parishes approved the vote to legalize sports betting, and the remaining nine decided it just wasn’t for them.

The nine parishes that did not support the legalization of sports betting include:

• Caldwell

• Catahoula

• Franklin

• Jackson

• La Salle

• Sabine

• Union

• West Carroll

• Winn

This now means for Louisiana residents and visitors that sportsbooks will soon be popping up around the state. However, you will need to remain patient; there are still a few things for lawmakers and the gaming commission to figure out before this happens.

Where Can You Place Legal Sports Bets in Louisiana?

The one land-based casino, 15 riverboat casinos, and four horse racing tracks will be allowed to open their retail and online sportsbooks. The hottest online casinos are now in Louisiana offering legal betting across all major (and some minor) sports.

We are almost certain that you will be able to find sportsbooks at the following locations come football season:

• Amelia Belle Casino

• Belle of Baton Rouge Casino Hotel

• Boomtown Bossier City Casino

• Boomtown Casino & Hotel New Orleans

• Coushatta Casino Resort

• Cypress Bayou Casino and Hotel

• Eldorado Resort Casino Shreveport

• Golden Nugget Lake Charles Hotel & Casino

• Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans and Louisiana Downs

• Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge

• Horseshoe Bossier City Hotel & Casino

• Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Lake Charles

• Jena Choctaw Pines Casino

• L’auberge Casino & Hotel in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles

• Margaritaville Resort Casino Bossier City

• Paragon Casino Resort and Hotel

• Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino

• Treasure Chest Casino

• Delta Downs Racetrack

• Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino

• Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Where Can You Place Online Sports Bets in Louisiana? 

Placing a sports bet at a retail sportsbook is fun, but sometimes you don’t want to leave the couch and would instead place your parlays from the comfort of your home. Lawmakers need to sort out a few things before sports fans can start placing bets but judging from the states that have legalized sports betting, we’re relatively confident which sportsbook brands may show up once online sports betting is approved.

Based on the research we’ve done on the casino operators in Louisiana, the below brands are most likely to offer sports bets online:

DraftKings Online Sportsbook Louisiana

Louisiana isn’t included in the deal with Penn National, but DraftKings is typically the first brand to break into the state when sports betting becomes legal, so we’re 99% sure they will rework the original deal to be again first to the show.

FanDuel Online Sportsbook Louisiana

FanDuel has an existing deal with Boyd Gaming, which owns three of the 15 riverboat casinos in Louisiana, so they’re most likely to be one of the online sportsbook options.

Barstool Sports Online Sportsbook Louisiana

Barstool is the home team brand for Penn National Gaming and owns six casino properties in Louisiana, so if Penn allows only one sportsbook brand, Barstool will be the one...sorry, DraftKings.

Golden Nugget Online Sportsbook Louisiana

Golden Nugget is most known for its top-notch online casino, so it would only make sense to add an online sportsbook to its arsenal.

PointsBet Online Sportsbook Louisiana

The Australian company, PointsBet has made quite the name for itself in the US the last few years and partners with Penn National, which automatically reserves them a spot in Louisiana.

William Hill Online Sportsbook Louisiana

Partnering with Eldorado Casino as the official sportsbook brand, William Hill has many ways to open a retail and online sportsbook in Louisiana.

TheScore Bet Online Sportsbook Louisiana

TheScore may be the one brand that we’re not entirely sure of; however, they secured market access via Penn National as a potential sportsbook offering in the Pelican State.

WynnBet Sportsbook Louisiana

WynnBET Sportsbook is now live in Louisiana! WynnBET is affiliated with Wynn and Encore properties in Las Vegas. WynnBET might be a good choice for customers who like to frequent Vegas as they often tie their promotions into trips and stays at those properties.

What Teams Can You Bet on in Louisiana?

If one thing is for sure, it’s that people in the south love their sports; Louisiana is no exception. When sports betting is finally legal, the people of Louisiana will be able to pick from their favorite teams. However, it’s important to remember that there could potentially be restrictions that lawmakers could put into place when it comes to which teams people can place their bets on.

What we mean when we say this is that, for the most part, placing bets on professional sports is a given, but betting on collegiate sports may or may not be incorporated in the legalization bill.

Louisiana has two professional teams, an NFL team, the New Orleans Saints, and the NBA team, the New Orleans Pelicans. These two teams will absolutely draw in tons of bets, and the only regulation limitations we can think of will pertain to live, in-game bets. Live betting is still relatively new, which can cause concern from regulators regarding fairness.

The limitations we’re most concerned about surrounding collegiate sports. College sports are still considered amateur events and involve student-athletes, making legislators worry about the morality of placing bets on athletes who aren’t paid to play the sport. It’s not unusual to see all sports bets prohibited when it comes to college sports.

This ruling will most likely make LSU fans pretty heated and be very unpopular to die-hard Tigers fans. Needless to say, if it is allowed, it’s still nice to know that it could be a possibility that this ruling shows up.

Here is a complete list of teams and their associated leagues/conferences you might be able to place sports bets on when the time comes:

• New Orleans Pelicans (NBA)

• New Orleans Saints (NFL)

• LSU (SEC)

• Louisiana Tech (C-USA)

• Louisiana-Lafayette (Sun Belt)

• Louisiana-Monroe (Sun Belt)

• Tulane (AAC)

• McNeese State (Southland)

• Grambling State (SWAC)

• Southern (SWAC)

• Southeastern Louisiana (Southland)

• Northwestern State (Southland)