Louisiana cleared perhaps its biggest hurdle yet towards sports betting being legalized in the Pelican state.
On Friday, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed SB 130. As a result, parishes (counties for non-Louisianians) will hold individual elections this upcoming November to decide if they want to allow sports betting. Similar bills have stalled before making it to the governor’s desk the past 2 years.
For parishes that vote in favor of the proposal, the state’s Gaming Control Board and lawmakers will come up with licensing & regulation for the newly legalized sports betting industry. The measure is expected to receive a resounding ‘yes’ vote in Orleans, Jefferson, East Baton Rouge, Calcasieu, Bossier, and Caddo Parishes. These are where most of the state’s casinos and racetracks are located.
This is monumental for sports betting in the state. Proponents argue that sports betting has been taking place illegally anyways for decades and that the state should legalize it so they could capture some much needed revenue in the form of taxes. Louisiana is also two years behind their eastern neighbor Mississippi, who legalized betting soon after the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the PASPA law, a decision that made sports betting illegal throughout most of the country. As a result, thousands of Louisiana residents flocked ‘next door’ to place their bets and helped pump millions of dollars into the ‘Magnolia State’s economy. Not anymore.
Legalizing sports betting should also bring an added level of interest to a state that is already extremely passionate about their sports teams: professional and college. The New Orleans Saints and LSU sports teams consistently rank at or near the top of national lists that rank the best sports fanbases.
The bill was arthured by Metairie state senator J. Cameron Henry.
If you or anyone you know has a gambling problem, visit this site or call 1-877-770-STOP.
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