Betting in Louisiana

Unlike most states that entered the betting era cold, Louisiana has always been a wagering state. Riverboat gaming dates back to the 1800s, Harrah’s New Orleans brought Vegas-style casino play to the Gulf, and racetracks like Fair Grounds and Delta Downs have run regulated pari-mutuel wagering for generations.

When online sports betting finally launched in 2022, the state wasn’t building from scratch - it was upgrading an already mature gambling infrastructure. That’s why Louisiana’s rollout felt so seamless: it simply layered mobile wagering on top of a system that already understood how to manage regulated betting.

Louisiana didn’t legalize betting at the state level like most markets. Instead, each of the 64 parishes voted individually.

55 approved it. 9 did not.

This created one of the most geographically unique markets in the U.S. Even today, it’s the only state where legality depends on your exact location - a reflection of Louisiana’s hyper-local political structure. It also explains why operators must geofence wagers with pinpoint precision, something no other state requires at this level.

Louisiana taxes online sportsbook revenue at 15%, putting it well below the heavyweight tax regimes you see in places like New York or Pennsylvania, where rates can climb past 30–50%.

A mid-range tax like this gives operators far more room to compete - and bettors feel that directly. Sharper odds, steadier promotions, healthier welcome offers, and long-term market stability are all easier to sustain in Louisiana than in high-tax states where operators are forced to tighten pricing just to stay afloat.

Louisiana didn’t go “race-to-the-bottom low,” but it avoided the back-breaking tax structures that choke innovation in heavier markets. The result is a pricing environment that stays competitive - and that ultimately benefits the player.

Louisiana imposes no restrictions on wagering involving local college teams. LSU, Tulane, UL-Lafayette, Grambling, Southern - all fully bettable, with player props and live markets included.

While many states that take college sports seriously - such as New Jersey, Virginia, Massachusetts, Illinois - restrict betting on local programs, Louisiana didn’t even entertain that idea. In fact, thanks to LSU’s football brand alone, it has become one of the biggest drivers of handle every fall.

Louisiana legalized daily fantasy sports via a parish-level referendum in 2018, making it one of the few states where DFS gained voter-backed approval.

Both traditional DFS and Pick ’Em formats are legal today, and major operators - DraftKings, FanDuel, PrizePicks, Underdog, Sleeper, and more - all operate in the state. In this way, Louisiana stands apart from states like New York, Michigan, and Florida, which cracked down on Pick ’Em contests post-2023.

Like nearly every regulated state, Louisiana prohibits sportsbooks from offering bets on political races, award shows, culture, and economic indicators.

However, federally regulated prediction markets - like Kalshi - are legal and accessible to Louisiana residents, giving bettors a lawful alternative for wagering on real-world events outside the sportsbook ecosystem.

Because Louisiana does not allow real-money online casinos, players looking for a casino-style experience online rely on sweepstakes casinos, which operate under federal sweepstakes law rather than state gambling law.

These platforms use two-currency systems:

• Gold Coins for entertainment
• Sweeps Coins that can be redeemed for real cash prizes

It’s not “online casino gambling” in the legal sense, but the gameplay often mirrors it closely: slots, table games, jackpots, bonus rounds - all without violating Louisiana’s gaming statutes.

And because sweeps casinos operate outside the licensed-operator cap and don’t require legislative approval, they’ve become the de facto online casino alternative for Louisianans until the state ever considers real iGaming legislation.