Voters in 47 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, including in East Baton Rouge Parish, legalized online fantasy sports gaming with cash prizes in the Nov. 6 election.
Next year, legislators and the Louisiana Gaming Control Board has been tasked with creating the regulatory framework, with hopes of being up and running by the fall, Watchdog.com reports.
As it stands now, other types of sports betting will remain illegal in the state, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows states to legalize it within their borders. But competition from other states could help spur Louisiana to join a growing trend.
State Sen. Danny Martiny, R-Kenner, sponsored a bill this year to legalize sports betting that died in committee. He plans to try again next year, and hopes the success of the fantasy sports ballot measure is a good omen.
Mississippi casinos, which began taking sports bets Aug. 1, already are said to be attracting gamblers from southeast Louisiana. Casinos in north Louisiana may face a similar threat now that Arkansas has legalized casino gambling, including sports betting.
There’s a lot of money at stake. The American Gaming Association estimates sports betting could be worth as much as $288 million a year in Louisiana. If Louisiana used the same tax rate charged on its riverboat casinos, that could bring up to $62 million into the state’s coffers.
