SportsBettingInLouisiana.com

A Louisiana Sports Betting Bill Has Passed The Senate

john — Wed, 01 May 2019 21:25:20 +0000

Senate Bill 153 passes the Senate with a 24-15 vote.
The Bill would allow the voters in the state’s eight parishes to vote on allowing sports gambling.
If the bill passes the House sports betting could be available by 2020.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Legal sports betting has gotten a bit closer to becoming a reality in Louisiana. Senate Bill 153 is a bill that would permit sports wagering in Louisiana at four horse racetracks and the New Orleans Harrah’s Casino. Wagering will also be permitted at the state’s 15 riverboat casinos.

SB 153 passed the Senate with a 24-15 vote. Now the bill must get past the House. There are some complications, however, before the bill becomes law. After passing through the House the bill’s fate will rest in the hand of voters in the state’s eight parishes. They will be given the option to vote on if they would like sports gambling.

The complications for sports betting to become law in the state pale in comparison to the benefits it could provide its residents. Senator Danny Martiny, the sponsor of the bill, and Governor John Bel Edwards both agree on using the tax revenue from SB 153 to support childhood education programs in the area.

Unlike other states that push gambling monies toward other areas, childhood education programs could present a better future for upcoming Louisiana residents.

The other benefit to potential legal sports betting in Louisiana is competing with its neighboring state Mississippi.

“The Mississippi Gulf Coast casinos are doing everything they can to lure Louisiana people over to the Biloxi area and one of the amenities that they offer is sports betting,” said Martiny.

In order to compete with Mississippi in sports gambling the state would need its voters to err on the side of legalization. Before that happens, they would need the House to agree on passing the bill instead of nipping the bill in the bud before it makes it out the gate.

The potential for getting residents swaying toward legalization is looking bright, according to an LSU survey completed last month. The survey said 59% of Louisiana residents were in favor of legalizing sports betting. This only included professional sports, not college.

State residents will potentially get their chance to vote on sports betting in Louisiana if the bill passes the House. If it does then the soonest they could bet on sports will be the year 2020.

The post A Louisiana Sports Betting Bill Has Passed The Senate first appeared on SportsBettingInLouisiana.com.

Louisiana Sports Betting Efforts Continuing To Grow

Michael Molter — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 14:06:20 +0000

Louisiana is home to twenty gaming establishments ready to launch sportsbooks
If approved by the legislature, the bill must also seek approval from parishes.
Sports betting in Louisiana could begin as early as January 2020.

BATON ROUGE, La. – In a 3-1 decision by the Senate’s Judiciary B Committee, one of the measures that would legalize sports betting in Louisiana has promptly made its way back to the Senate floor.

SB 153 was approved on Tuesday and already scheduled to undergo its second reading, with its minor amendments, on Wednesday at 4 pm.

Under this proposal, those who are 21 and older would be authorized to wager on sporting events, excluding high school games and electronic sports, from a variety of locations within the state. Any of the fifteen riverboat casinos and the one commercial casino in New Orleans (Harrah’s) would be able to host their own sportsbook, in addition to the state’s four horse racing tracks.

Mobile wagering would also be permitted; however, certain restrictions would be put in place that may inhibit any growth of the mobile industry. Like Mississippi, Louisiana planned on only allowing online sports wagers to be processed while on the facility’s grounds. However, Louisiana has taken a further step by restricting wagers outside of the facility’s gaming floor area.

If this bill were to pass, it would first have to seek approval from the residents of the state, who are required by Louisiana law to agree to a taxation implementation or increase. Having the choice on the October ballot would put the timeline for legal Louisiana sports betting to begin around the time of Super Bowl 2020.

The sponsor of the bill, Danny Martiny (R- Metairie), filed a similar bill last year but added a different reason this year as to why this bill should be passed. Set to have a future-determined percentage of the tax help fund essential programs for poverty-stricken youths of the state, there is not much standing in the way for legalization.

It is uncertain how much money will be contributed to Louisiana for legalizing sports betting but Martiny estimates it can range anywhere from $40 – $60 million a year.

"If nothing else, it will stop some of the bleeding that’s going [to] offshore bookies [or] Mississippi and Arkansas.”

The sole vote against SB 153 was from Senator Karen Carter Peterson (D- New Orleans); however, her vote was settled not as a means to stop licensed sportsbooks from operating in the state, but rather a way to voice her opinion of problems gambling.

Peterson has admitted to having a gambling problem and encouraged the lawmakers to think heavily about the situation this bill could put the citizens of the state in. As approved, the bill would also dedicate a future-determined percentage of the tax revenue to assist with this.

Louisiana was one of the last states to have their legislature convene this year. With a June 6 adjournment date, there is plenty of time for lawmakers to figure out the best strategy of implementing legal sports betting in Louisiana.

The post Louisiana Sports Betting Efforts Continuing To Grow first appeared on SportsBettingInLouisiana.com.

Louisiana Sports Betting Bill Advances To Full Senate Vote

Hasan Nabulsi — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 15:35:03 +0000

Louisiana’s neighboring states, Mississippi and Arkansas, have both already legalized sports betting.
Louisiana sports betting bill LA SB 153, would only legalize sports wagering by a parish-by-parish local vote.
The tax revenue to be collected would almost exclusively be put to early childhood development programs and problem gambling centers.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Earlier this week, sports betting in Louisiana took one step closer to becoming a reality. Louisiana Senate bill LA SB 153 was passed by the legislative chamber’s Judiciary Committee and it will now go to the Senate floor for a full vote.

The bill, introduced by Louisiana Senator Danny Martiny, would effectively allow the state’s four racetracks, 15 riverboat casinos, and the Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans, to apply for a sports betting license and offer the additional type of gaming only within their facilities.

Although, before they can even apply, local parishes would have to vote on whether or not they want sports wagering to take place in their town. That vote would potentially occur in October of 2019, meaning the soonest Louisiana could see active sportsbooks is January 1, 2020.

The companion bill to Martiny’s proposal is Louisiana House Bill LA HB 587, sponsored by House Rep. Joseph Marino. The bill would lay the foundation for the financial stipulations that would be applied to sports wagering.

Under the current form of that measure, operators would have to pay an annual fee of $50,000 along with a permit fee of $100,000 every five years. There would also be a 12% tax applied to sports betting revenue and the proceeds will go primarily to early childhood development programs.

“I believe it’s important that we recognize and prioritize our commitment to early childhood education. That’s why my bill, in its present form, coupled up with a house bill that Rep. Marino has filed would do that,” said Martiny.

However, Martiny’s bill did not pass unanimously in the Senate Committee. During the vote, Louisiana Senator Karen Carter Peterson voted against the measure because she is currently battling a gambling addiction herself.

“There are families that get destroyed, and I am well aware of that. I’m glad that mine has not because of the support system that I have in place, but everybody doesn’t have that,” said Peterson.

Gambling addiction is also a primary reason as to why not every parish voted to legalize daily fantasy sports when given the chance last year.

In order to combat this issue, this year’s sports betting bills would dedicate $100,000 annually to problem gambling centers.

The bills would also restrict sports betting in Louisiana to those 21 and up and would not allow betting on high school sports, video game and electronic sports, or through a state-wide mobile app.

Whether or not that will be enough to sway members on the Senate floor will be determined later this week. But, the Louisiana legislative session is officially set to adjourn on June 6, 2019.

The post Louisiana Sports Betting Bill Advances To Full Senate Vote first appeared on SportsBettingInLouisiana.com.

Could Louisiana Sports Betting Help Fund Early Education Programs?

Hasan Nabulsi — Tue, 19 Feb 2019 21:57:25 +0000

BATON ROUGE, La. – Politicians tend to disagree on many issues, but one issue they normally can agree on is funding early education programs. This is why advocates for sports betting in Louisiana are asking that the tax revenues generated by the activity be used to help the state’s youngest learners.

Louisiana residents have been traveling across state lines to place legal sports bets in Mississippi for almost a year now.

But, LA lawmakers are estimating that legalizing sportsbooks in their own casinos could provide an additional $40 million to $70 million a year for the state government.

When comparing that to the needs of the Early Childhood Care and Education Commission, the agency is estimating that the cost for continuing to operate their pre-k programs would be $86 million a year for the next 10 years.

While sports betting won’t completely solve the state’s education budget, state officials such as Senator Danny Martiny are viewing this gaming expansion as an additional way to help the sector.

Martiny plans on filing legislation at the beginning of April when regular session begins. The bill would allow sports wagering at the state’s riverboat casinos, race tracks, and New Orleans land-based casino.

Who May Support This Type Of Education Funding?

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has shown previous backing for legal gambling on sports and has even mentioned that using the tax revenues for early education “is a conversation that I am willing to have.”

However, 2019 is an election year for the state and Governor Edwards is running for re-election. His focus on passing that potential legislation is unclear.

The implications of adding childrens education to the bill may also deter some from passing it, which is why Martiny may not introduce his newest proposal with that specifically written.

“We have people who are against dedications. The governor seems to be in favor of the dedication. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there are some people who won’t vote for anything that the governors for.”

Even if Martiny is able to get his bill to pass it would be some time before the state collected any funds from sports betting.

In October, local parishes would have to choose whether or not they want to host sportsbooks at their gaming establishments. The Gaming Control Board will also have to have to come up with official regulations before residents could start placing their bets.

The post Could Louisiana Sports Betting Help Fund Early Education Programs? first appeared on SportsBettingInLouisiana.com.