Sports betting in Louisiana was officially legalized in June 2021.
But before Gov. John Bel Edwards signed Senate Bill 247, Pelican State voters in 64 parishes were tasked with voting to approve it in their parish.
After the votes were tallied on Nov. 3, 2020, 56 out of 64 parishes (counties) voted to allow sports wagering.
With the passing of SB 247, Louisiana was the first state to leave sports betting approval up to each parish, allowing people to have more of a say about what would be allowed in their respective communities.
The parishes that did not approve legal sports betting were:
- Caldwell
- Catahoula
- Franklin
- LaSalle
- Sabine
- Union
- West Carroll
- Winn
Bettors will only be allowed to wager from approved parishes, which includes those around Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport and most other population centers. Bettors in the parishes that did not legalize sports betting will be able to create accounts, deposit, withdraw and browse the market, but they will have to travel to a parish that approved sports betting to place bets.
An exact date for the launch of legal online sports betting in Louisiana has not been announced, but there is an expectation among officials in the state that bettors will be able to start placing online wagers before Super Bowl LVI in February.
Louisiana has offered in-person sports betting since October 2021 when Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville accepted the state’s first legal wager at its Betfred sportsbook.
Here are the six approved sportsbooks that will be a part of Louisiana’s mobile sports betting launch:
For further updates on Louisiana and other states that will soon legalize online sports betting in 2022 and beyond, check out our legalization tracker.