Louisiana was one of the latest states to legalize and launch sports betting, but all of the current betting must be done in person. Mobile sports betting has not yet been offered, but that is expected to change in time for the Super Bowl that takes place on February 13.
The Louisiana State Gaming Control Board has confirmed that mobile betting will be available before the biggest sporting event in the United States. A specific launch date has not yet been set, but each sportsbook will start to prepare for an early 2022 launch.
Sports betting officially began on October 31 after it was approved in November 2020. It took the state much longer than expected to get retail sportsbooks up and running, but it’s not a hard process to offer mobile apps.
Louisiana is a state with plenty of professional sports teams, and those teams should help drive sports betting.
Big Names Have Received a License
There are already 13 state-licensed casinos that have opened up retail sports betting, and each has been able to partner with a sportsbook operator. It didn’t take long for some of the biggest names in the U.S. industry to reach a deal to launch in Louisiana.
The New Orleans area of the state currently has four casino properties with a retail sportsbook. FanDuel Sportsbook is live in two of those properties, while Caesars and Barstool are in the other two.
Barstool Sportsbook is currently the only retail sports betting option in the Baton Rouge area of Louisiana. L’Auberge is the casino that currently houses the Barstool Sportsbook.
Barstool, Caesars, and FanDuel also have other retail sportsbooks in the Lake Charles Area, as well as around Shreveport. The other big name that has entered the state of Louisiana is DraftKings, operating out of the Golden Nugget Casino.
Paragon Casino Leading Tribal Properties
Tribal casinos in Louisiana are also eligible to offer sports betting, but so far, there is just one casino that has taken advantage of the opportunity. The Paragon Casino Resort was the first retail betting option in the state, and it’s located in Marksville.
A Betfred Sportsbook has opened up at the Paragon Casino, and this location is not regulated by the Louisiana State Gaming Commission. Betfred is also not required to pay state taxes because it is not regulated, which is a major advantage.
Still No Statewide Availability
Louisiana has some very interesting rules regarding legal sports betting, with the most notable being that it is not available statewide. Voters in Louisiana were given the opportunity to approve sports betting, but it was a decision based on each parish.
Nearly all of the parishes did vote to legalize sports betting, but that wasn’t the case in every area of the state. Even though these mobile sportsbook apps will be up and running before the Super Bowl, they can’t be accessed by everyone in the state.
Geolocation services will track a sports bettor’s exact location to ensure that bets are being placed from the appropriate parishes.
