Louisiana legalizes mobile sports betting

Jeremy Rosen, Staff Reporter

sports betting
Paige Douglass

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board officially legalized sports betting on mobile devices on Friday, Jan. 28. Louisianians can now use state-licensed websites and sports gambling apps to place bets on all of their favorite athletes and teams. 

This decision comes only three months after the state authorized sports betting licenses in Louisiana casinos. Louisiana casinos made over $10 million dollars off of sports betting since legalization. Just in the month of December, Louisiana retail sportsbooks took $39.5 million in bets, while generating a $4.38 million dollar profit. The state also collected over $400,000 in taxes in that timespan.

The topic of sports betting in Louisiana was long debated. Former state Sen. Danny Martini, a heavy proponent of legalization, said that he was fighting to “keep us on an even playing field with Biloxi.” The new move should improve the economy within the state and increase tourism to Louisiana’s several casinos.

The state gaming control board officially allowed six different sportsbooks to begin their operations in the state when the new measure was announced. Caesars Sportsbook put in the most effort to be the premier betting service in Louisiana. Caesars Entertainment made a whopping $138 million brand name deal with New Orleans’ iconic Superdome and became the official sportsbook partner of LSU athletics.

With former LSU stars Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Odell Beckham Jr. competing in this year’s Super Bowl, expect many Louisianians to bet big on the game.

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