Louisiana online sports betting unlikely to launch until January
Louisiana in-person sports betting is alive and kicking, as the state ushered in retail sports betting in late October.
Louisiana online sports betting, however, is a different matter. Don’t believe the rumors you hear about a launch coming this month, because it’s unlikely to kick off until January 2022.
In the meantime, FanDuel Sportsbook is rolling out a $100 pre-registration bonus offer for prospective bettors in the Pelican State, which you can get by clicking here.
Louisiana online sports betting by 2022
The goal is for online sports betting in Louisiana to begin by Jan. 1, 2022, according to Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns. The chairman previously told Saturday Down South that Louisiana State Police is working to verify sportsbook partners and allow the distribution of online sports betting licenses to begin soon.
“We need to do this the right way. Louisiana State Police is on it, they’re working on a daily basis to have it up and running. We’re trying to have it as fast as we can, and I’m going to predict the first of the year for when we have mobile,” Johns told Saturday Down South.
Louisiana allows 20 sports betting licenses, one each for the the state’s 15 riverboat casinos, four racinos (horse tracks) and one land-based casino. Each license will also include two mobile licenses, which could mean a potential of 41 “skins” for Louisiana online sports betting. The one additional skin would be allotted to the Louisiana Lottery Corporation.
What online sportsbooks will be available?
So what will be available when online sports betting is launched? FanDuel and DraftKings both currently offer Daily Fantasy Sports contests in the state and will also be part of the online sports betting launch as well.
Caesars Entertainment has also been confirmed, as the sportsbook app is already available for download in Louisiana. Users cannot place bets as of yet, but can register and fund accounts.
Caesars will offer in-person sports betting at its properties Harrah’s New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City. Each casino will soon take in-person bets at temporary retail locations, before the unveiling of their new Caesars Sportsbooks. In the fall of 2022, Isle of Capri Lake Charles will be renovated into Horseshoe Lake Charles and reopen with an additional Caesars Sportsbook location.
Additionally, Caesars acquired a 20-year, exclusive naming-rights partnership with the New Orleans Saints to rebrand New Orleans’ downtown stadium as the Caesars Superdome. Caesars Sportsbook is also the official sportsbook partner of LSU Athletics.
WynnBET will also be available in the state, as the company announced it secured online sports betting market access this past October. A source previously told Saturday Down South that WynnBET has secured a partnership for its online sports betting app through one of Caesars’ physical casino properties in Louisiana.
WynnBET is currently available in Arizona, Colorado, Indian, Michigan, New Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia.
It’s safe to assume the Barstool Sportsbook will also be available, as Penn National Gaming has partnered with two casinos that currently offer in-person sports betting. L’Auberge Casino Baton Rouge and Boomtown Casino Hotel both offer in-person sports betting and are Penn National Gaming properties.
Where will Louisiana online sports betting be legal?
Sports betting is legal in 55 of 64 Louisiana parishes that approved the measure in the November 2020 general election. In-person and online sports betting is not permitted for residents living in the following parishes:
- Caldwell
- Catahoula
- Franklin
- Jackson
- LaSalle
- Sabine
- Union
- West Carroll
- Winn
Prospective bettors can get a $100 pre-registration bonus from FanDuel Sportsbook Louisiana by clicking here.
