The Louisiana Gaming Control Board recently unanimously passed emergency sports betting rules that will take effect Monday, August 30 and will be good for 180 days. The board did not post the rules or provide them to stakeholders prior to the vote but LGCB Director Ronnie Johns said his staff received stakeholder input and included several of their in the emergency rules.
Louisiana voters in 55 of 64 parishes legalized mobile and retail sports betting last November. Then state lawmakers passed framework and tax bills on June 10 and Governor John Bell Edwards signed the legislation June 23.
Retail sports betting will be available through up to 41 digital sports wagering platforms, the state’s 15 riverboat casinos and four racetracks plus Harrah’s New Orleans land-based casino and lottery kiosks at locations with Class A on-site liquor licenses. Applications for prospective daily fantasy operators also are available.
Each venue can apply for a sports betting application and hand-deliver it to the State Police, leading to a temporary license, “so sports wagering could get off the ground,” said Assistant Attorney General Dawn M. Himel. But an industry spokesperson said some of the commercial venues could be ready to take in-person bets around mid-September, well before the anticipated Thanksgiving launch. “This has been the number-one question asked of me: ‘When is sports betting coming?’ We are behind our neighbor in Mississippi, but we’re going to try to catch up quickly. I’m hopeful we’ll be able to get started by the middle of football season,” Johns said.
The emergency rules are valid for six months, and the board can renew them for another six months. Permanent rules are expected to be developed in the next few months and will have a public-comment period.
The new law requires a $250,000 sports betting license application fee and a $500,000 renewal fee, good for five years. Bettors must be age 21 or older. Bets cannot be placed on high school or youth sports events. Athletes, coaches and referees cannot bet on a sports event in which they are involved. Residents of parishes that did not approve sports betting can place wagers if they travel to a parish where sports betting was legalized.
Among key criteria for receiving a sports betting license, the LGCB stated:
- Operators must offer the “greatest potential” for revenue to the state.
- An applicant’s character, reputation, experience and financial integrity will be considered.
- Applicants must have sufficient capitalization, and
- The physical sportsbook must meet certain design criteria.
