Louisiana Sportsbook Locations

Online sports betting can be fun, but many sports bettors like being able to put money down in person at retail casinos or horse racetracks. Fortunately, Louisiana’s upcoming sports betting industry will offer both means of wagering. Let’s take a look at the retail sports betting scene in Louisiana as it stands today and explore how it will evolve in the coming months.

Retail Locations For LA Sports Betting

Before online sports betting goes live in the state, the emphasis is being placed on opening up retail sportsbooks. Here’s a list of casinos that have received certification and when they will begin accepting wagers.

Legal Sports Betting In Louisiana

Legal sports betting is finally coming to Louisiana thanks to two bills: SB 247 and SB 142. The former bill breaks down the regulatory structure for the industry. The latter bill focuses on revenue allocation for taxes and similar topics.

Between the bills, it has been established that sports wagering in both retail and online contexts will be legal in 55 out of 64 parishes throughout Louisiana. Furthermore, up to 41 operating licenses will be available between both types of sports wagering.

As a result, we can expect most national sports wagering operators to enter Louisiana sooner or later. There’s bound to be a lot of competition, which is a good thing for sports wagering enthusiasts.

Louisiana Sports Betting: What To Expect

Mobile betting is expected to launch in early January. Until then, sports fans in Louisiana can bet on sports in-person at nine Louisiana casinos. In total, eight locations have been approved through the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.

Paragon Resort Casino in Marksville, which is operated by the local Tunica-Biloxi Tribe, opened the state’s first retail sportsbook on Oct. 6, 2021, in partnership with Betfred Sports. Mobile sports betting on tribal land will be exclusive, meaning bettors in these locations can only use the partnered sportsbooks in the area and not other commercial sportsbooks. Paragon is the only casino in Louisiana not regulated through the state.

Horseshoe Casino in Bossier City and Harrah’s New Orleans opened on Oct. 31. The next day, Boomtown Casino in Harvey and L’Auberge Casino in Baton Rouge opened on Nov. 1.  

In Lake Charles, The Golden Nugget and L’Auberge Casino launched retail sportsbooks on Nov. 10. 

Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City began accepting sports wagers on Nov. 10, while Boomtown Casino & Hotel in Bossier City began accepting bets on Nov. 15 at 4 p.m.

Other details of the sports betting industry include:

• A requirement for every sportsbook to partner with one of Louisiana’s land-based, Native American, or riverboat casinos. An additional license will be awarded to the Louisiana Lottery Corporation
• A tax rate of 10% for retail sports bets and 15% for online sports bets
• The Louisiana Gaming Control Board will oversee the sports betting industry and handle things like licensing fees and registration processes

There are not likely to be any limitations regarding what types of sports that people can bet on. Some states have made rules that prevent sportsbooks from offering bets on in-state college teams, but that is not the case in Louisiana. The sportsbook at Paragon Resort Casino allows bettors to place wagers on in-state college teams like LSU, Tulane, and Louisiana Tech.

Sports bettors will be able to wager on NFL games, NBA games, MLB games, and any other professional American sport, too. Most popular sportsbooks will also likely offer betting markets for international sporting activities like rugby and more niche competitive events like darts and cricket.

All in all, Louisiana’s upcoming sports betting industry looks bright.

Online Sports Betting Partnerships In Louisiana

Ronnie Johns, chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, told Louisiana Sharp that he expects mobile sports betting to launch in Louisiana in the first week of January.

Louisiana’s sports betting legislation requires all sportsbooks to partner with either riverboat or land-based casinos. Each riverboat casino and land-based casino in the state will be granted “skins” for licenses for two sportsbook partners.

In total, this could result in several dozen sportsbooks operating within Louisiana’s borders.

Below, you’ll find a chart breaking down the prospective or announced partnerships between sportsbook operators, gambling organizations, and retail casinos.

The Types Of Bets Taken At Sportsbooks In Louisiana

The sports betting industry in Louisiana will let you place a variety of bets at its in-person sportsbook locations and using online platforms.

Moneyline

Moneyline wagers are popular in part because of their simplicity. They require you to bet on which team will win the game. These bets will be popular with newcomers and experienced sports bettors alike.

Prop Bets

Prop bets are also called proposition bets. Rather than wagering on the outcome of a game or betting on how many points the teams will score, you bet on an outcome from during a game itself. For example, you can place prop bets like:

• Whether a player will hit a home run
• Whether a player will record a certain number of strikeouts

Prop bets are fun because they can be imaginative and creative where other wagers can’t. Many casual sports bettors also like these since the rules are easy to grasp.

Futures Bets

Futures bets involve wagering on the outcome of a future event or season. Some of the most popular futures bets have you bet on which team will win the World Series or which player will win the NFL MVP Award. Futures bets award higher payouts the further from the event outcome you put your money down.

Parlay Bets

Parlay bets are collections of single bets like moneyline or prop bets with proportionally higher payouts. You have to get every “leg” or individual bet of the wager correct in order to win the parlay bet. If you get even one “leg” incorrect, you lose the entire bet. Because of this, parlay bets are placed more often by experienced sports bettors than newcomers.

Point Spread Bets

Point spread bets require wagerers to “bet the spread” which means betting one of two things:

• That the underdog team will win a game outright or lose by less than a certain number of points
• That the favorite team will win by more than a certain number of points

These bets essentially involve wagering on the performance of both teams in a given match. They’re a little more complex but can be very fun once wagerers get the hang of them.

Totals Bets

Totals bets involve betting on whether the combined points between two teams will be above or below a certain total. 

Louisiana Sports Betting Guide: How To Bet

The sports betting industry in Louisiana will likely be big right out of the gate. Let’s break down what you need to know about this industry so you’re prepared to take advantage of the best operators and most profitable betting lines.

The Three Most Popular Sports for Sports Bettors In Louisiana

Any sportsbooks in Louisiana will let you place wagers on a variety of sporting activities. The most popular will undoubtedly be the NFL, the NBA, and the MLB.

That’s in part because of the two major pro-teams that call Louisiana home: the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. Naturally, basketball and football are two of the most popular sports in Louisiana. Both teams have their own diehard fans that would love the chance to put money down on their favorite sporting organizations and support their teams in this way.

Betting on the MLB will be popular, too. Louisiana doesn’t have its own team, but baseball is called America’s favorite pastime for a reason. People all around the country love it.

Is It Legal to Bet On Sports Outside Of Legal Sportsbooks in Louisiana?

Yes. Louisiana will allow online sports betting, which will let you place wagers from anywhere within state lines. Simply download a mobile sportsbook, sign up for a new account, and place your wager. You don’t even have to be a resident of Louisiana to place a sports bet in the Pelican State.

However, you will need to be within state lines to put your wager down or to collect your winnings. You’ll also need to be within one of the 55 parishes that approved sports betting in order to participate. Native American tribal lands will also have exclusive partnerships with sportsbooks in those locations.

If you want to enjoy retail sports betting, you will need to be physically at a retail or riverboat casino or a horse race track to enjoy this activity.

Louisiana Sports Betting Timeline

The push for sports betting legalization in Louisiana started in November 2020, when the vote for legal sports wagering appeared on the state’s presidential election ballot. The vote asked Louisiana’s parishes to either approve or deny the construction of sportsbook operations within their territories.

The results were clear: after November 2020, 55 out of the 64 parishes in Louisiana voted to allow legal sports betting both in retail and online contexts. Only after this vote passed did more sports betting legalization efforts continue.

In early 2021, SB 247 and SB 142 were both passed by the state legislature, which then sent the bills to Gov. John Bel Edwards. He promptly signed these bills along with another sports betting bill, which allowed the laws to go into effect three weeks later.

In early July 2021, the Gaming Control Board announced its intention to open the application process for sportsbook operators. This officially began the launch of the sports betting industry. 

Louisiana Sports Betting FAQs