Online Sports Betting To Legally Start In Louisiana On Friday

Online sportsbooks can lawfully begin taking bets in Louisiana on Friday morning, joining their brick-and-mortar cousins that are already accepting wagers from gamers in the Pelican State.


" [Louisiana Gaming Control Board] Chairman Ronnie Johns announces that currently eligible sports wagering operators will be approved to accept mobile bets as early as 8:00 a.m. Friday early morning," a news release stated Wednesday. "The remaining mobile sports wagering operators are in the process of conference statutory and regulatory requirements and will be approved when those requirements are met."


One operator that plans on taking wagers on Friday in Louisiana is Caesars Sportsbook. The bookmaker's owner, Nevada-based Caesars Entertainment Inc., runs gambling establishments in the southern state that currently offer retail sports banking on their residential or commercial properties.


"We have actually seen remarkable interest in legal sports betting considering that the opening of our Caesars Sportsbooks at Harrah's New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City," stated Eric Hession, co-president of Caesars Digital, in a declaration. "Come Friday, through the app, we'll have the ability to provide a lot more chances to experience the adventure of sports wagering."


Other mobile sportsbooks expected to go live in Louisiana on Friday include BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel.


More broadly, though, Wednesday's news will add another state to the growing map of locations where online sports wagering is legal and operational in the U.S. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board's statement likewise implies that online sports wagering will be licensed in time for the next round of the National Football League's playoffs and the Super Bowl thereafter.


Prep work


Voters in 55 of Louisiana's 64 parishes (comparable to counties) enacted favor of permitting sports wagering back in November 2020. Lawmakers then passed legislation last year permitting the video gaming control board to approximately 20 licenses for in-person and online sportsbooks, with choice offered towards the state's gambling establishments and live horse-racing tracks. The Louisiana Lottery Corp. is enabled to take sports wagers by means of website, mobile app, and retail kiosks also.


In-person sports wagering has currently begun at numerous gambling establishments throughout Louisiana. Online wagering, nevertheless, has actually needed a bit more effort and time from regulators to make sure things run smoothly and in accordance with the state's sports-betting guidelines.


Gaming Control Panel Chairman Ronnie Johns informed Covers just recently that regulators were getting near presenting online sports betting. At the time, though, Johns stated that they wanted to ensure a good experience for gamblers and could not ensure mobile betting would be up and running in time for the Super Bowl. That is no longer the case.


While the main licensees in Louisiana will be the owners and operators of brick-and-mortar facilities, the consumer-facing brands for mobile betting will be some of the most significant names in the service. That's since licensees can likewise partner with as much as 2 platform suppliers for online sports betting, each of which are enabled to use their own individually branded site and mobile app in the state.


Some sportsbook operators had begun pre-registration efforts ahead of the main launch of online betting. For instance, Caesars Entertainment revealed in October that its Caesars Sportsbook app was officially offered for wagerers to download, but so they might sign up, deposit funds, and start checking chances. WynnBET announced on Wednesday that it was similarly enabling pre-registration and deposits in the state.