Sports betting one step closer to becoming legal in Louisiana

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.

USC ends disassociation with Reggie Bush after 10 years

After 10 years of not being able to have a relationship with each other, USC and running back Reggie Bush have finally been allowed to end their disassociation. If you all remember, Bush was ruled ineligible after the fact because of improper benefits he received while at the university. He was also stripped of the Heisman Trophy he won following the 2005 season.

What the former two time All-American RB may or may not have receieved had absolutely NO effect on how he performed on the field so to take the greatest individual award in college sports away from him for that was absolutely wrong. The trophy should be returned to him immediately and he should formally be able to retake his place amongst college football immortals. He was one of the best players of all-time on that level.

Anyhow, its good to see him back in the fold at Southern Cal. Maybe his presence can help recruiting efforts and help re-establish the Trojans as a national championship contender. Check out the video we made to celebrate the occasion. 

Podcast - Aristede Williams (personal chef for New York Jets star Jamal Adams)

In the latest episode, I sat down with Aristede Williams, New Orleans native and personal chef for New York Jets All-Pro Safety Jamal Adams. 

We discussed a number of topics including some sports takes, how his meal prep helped Adams become an All-Pro, his unwavering faith in God, a very special project he has coming up, how stepping out on his belief in himself and God led to him to become a chef when he thought he was on a different path and some funny/interesting stories about his journey. Check it out

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Podcast: Mel Cordier

In this episode, I sit down with public relations guru Mel Cordier. He gives tips on how to market yourself and your brand during COVID-19, what to pay attention to about your favorite team OFF the playing field, and we discuss some NFL news and also debate on whether or not certain players should be in the Naismith Basketball HOF. Check it out below.

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Podcast: Edna Karr WR coach Omari "Big O" Robertson

In this episode, Edna Karr HS assistant coach Omari "Big O" Robertson discusses a litany of topics from what makes Karr’s football team so successful to what senior football players should look for when deciding where to attend college and basically everything in between. Check it out below.

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Podcast: Guest Ronald Horn

We’re back with a brand new episode of Locker Room Sports Media. We had Ronald Horn as a guest. He’s currently an assistant coach @ Huntington Prep School.

He’s also turning into a key influencer in the southeast grassroots basketball scene. He talks about his beginnings in the coaching profession, some of the players he coaches & mentors and vaguely touches on plans he has for New Orleans in the future. Lock in now 🔥.

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Itchy’s NCAAF Picks Against the Spread - Championship Weekend Edition

FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT IF YOU FOLLOW ANY OF THIS ADVICE AND DECIDE TO WAGER ANY MONEY BASED ON ANYTHING WRITTEN IN THIS ARTICLE, YOU DO SO SOLEY AT YOUR OWN RISK. The author of this post is NOT RESPONSIBLE for ANY POTENTIAL INCURRED LOSSES.

Last week’s NCAAF record: 2-1
Season NCAAF record: 23-11

Friday
PAC-12 Championship:
Oregon vs. Utah: over 46

Both teams have a ‘good defense’ but that’s relatively speaking, as outside of USC and Washington State, the PAC-12 hasn’t been known for its offensive firepower this year. Utah’s defense gave up 28 points to Washington and Oregon got 31 dropped on them by Arizona State (both those teams are just average offensively). The windy weather is a cause for concern, but I feel like both teams are explosive enough to put up at least 23 points a piece on each other’s defense. Oregon QB Justin Herbert was widely considered the best QB prospect in this year’s upcoming draft going into this season, and with a bunch of NFL caliber talent around him (like WRs Johnny Johnson III and Jaylen Redd) playing with their backs to the wind for half the game, they should be able to come up with 3 touchdown drives. On the other side, Utah is currently ranked number 5 in the CFP poll. The Utes have one of the best backfields in the country that no one really talks about with QB Tyler Huntley and RB Zack Moss. With a potential trip to the CFP on the line with a win and Georgia loss (we’ll get to that game later) I expect them to be focused and clicking on all cylinders to get the win. If they do, they’ll need to put points up to try to keep up (or hold off) Oregon. This game won’t be low scoring. Take the over.

Saturday
Big 12 Championship:
Oklahoma (-8.5) vs. Baylor

Some people may look at this line and think I’m tripping. Especially because of how the game turned out the last time these 2 schools played and Baylor going up 28-3 before eventually allowing a Oklahoma comeback. Well when you take a closer look at that game, Baylor was the beneficiary of 3 first half touchdowns as a result of Sooner turnovers. I don’t think Baylor will be as lucky this time around. While I do think their defense is a really good unit, I think Oklahoma’s offense is simply better and this game should play out a lot more like the second half of the last time these 2 teams met, where Oklahoma outscored Baylor 24-0. When you add in the fact that Utah losing last night opens the door for the winner of this game to get the fourth and final spot in this year’s playoff. Jalen Hurts and Lincoln Riley won’t let this opportunity slip by them. If/OU’s offense gets to rolling, I don’t think Baylor’s offense will be able to keep pace. The Sooner defense has also been playing better as of late and expect Oklahoma to come out firing on all cylinders and play their best football of the season. The Sooners SHOULD cover this spread.

Mountain West Championship
Boise State vs. Hawaii: over 64.5

We all know by now that Hawaii can score with just about anybody you put them on the field with. That’s just a given. They’ve looked really impressive most of the year offensively. The problem is, defensively, they give up a lot of points as well which isn’t good (for them). Boise State’s offense is always efficient, but this year they’re especially lethal. The last time these 2 teams met (earlier this season), the final score was 59-37 in the Broncos’ favor. The weather is somewhat of a factor and MAY slightly affect the Rainbow Warriors’ chances to put points on the board, but even if they can’t, I think Boise can hang 45-50 by themselves and in that case, I think Hawaii will be good for 2 garbage time TDs to get this total over.

SEC Championship
Georgia vs. LSU (-7.5)

I know that Georgia has somewhat of a “home-field advantage” with this game being played in Atlanta, but that’s about the only thing they have the upper hand on when I look at this matchup. Georgia came out of the SEC East (by far the weaker of the 2 divisions) and they’ve struggled offensively most of the year. I don’t expect that to change today, especially with De’Andre Swift being banged up with a shoulder injury and not having their top 2 receivers (one being out due to injury and the other being suspended for a half). On the other side of the ball, everyone knows what LSU has done and what they’re capable of offensively. Georgia’s defense is viewed as the strength of their team, but who have they played? The key to this game will be LSU’s offensive line against UGA’s defensive. front (which is pretty good). If LSU’s offensive line can block Georgia’s defensive front, it’s going to be A VERY LONG DAY for the Bulldog DBs as Joe Burrow will have time to pick them apart.