Sports Betting Goes Live in Louisiana

It was two years in the making. The state legislature went through several iterations before a ballot initiative was given to voters in November of 2020. The result was the approval of sports betting in 55 of the state's 64 parishes. Sports betting was approved for both retail sports betting sites and online operations.

In all voters approved up to 40 licensed sports betting operators with 20 licenses going to the state's riverboat casino community and the other 20 licenses going to other gambling interests like the state's horse racing venue.

Let the Games Begin

Originally, the sports betting community in Louisiana was targeting early to mid-October for the state's sports betting launch. Those plans were put on hold due to hurricane damage issues. When a new launch date was selected, sports bettors were told they could start betting on sports, starting on November 1, 2021.

Thanks to the efforts of the fine leadership at Caesars Entertainment, sports betting went live one day early at two Caesars properties: Harrah’s New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City Hotel & Casino. The company sent out emails in the early morning hours of October 31, 2021, that they would start taking wagers at 8 a.m. CST. The honor of placing the first bet went to Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert, who placed his wager at Harrah’s New Orleans.

While the Lousiana Gaming Control Board did all it could to get things started earlier this year, the license approval process encountered delays that turned into months. Now, all of that is in the past as the games have begun.

To be clear, the first actual sports bet in Louisiana took place on October 6, 2021, at the BetFred Sportsbook at Paragon Casino Resort. The early wagering opportunity came compliments of ownership, that being the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana.

Still to Come

Currently, 13 of the state's 20 riverboat casinos have applied for a sports betting license. The other 7 casinos will have until January 1, 2021, to apply for a license before the vacated licenses are made available to other gambling interests within the state.

It would appear that the next two riverboat casinos to offer sports betting action will be the Boomtown Casino in Harvey and L’Auberge Baton Rouge. Both properties have already announced that will officially open for sports betting action on November 1, 2021.

Of the other 20 available licenses, none of the operators will be opening retail sportsbooks within the next couple of weeks. Locations and owners are currently under scrutiny. When these licenses are issued, each of the operators will be licensed to open one retail sports betting site and offer up to two online betting sites or skins.

As naming rights sponsor to the New Orleans Superdome, the home of the Saints, Caesars is expected to be a major player in the Louisiana sports betting community. Other operators that bettors can expect to see include DraftKings, Fanduel, BetMGM, and perhaps Twinspires.