Louisiana Sports Betting Finally Launches
After the successful passing of the necessary legal bills in June 2021, retail sports betting finally arrived in the state of Louisiana on October 6th. This was thanks to a brand-new partnership between sports betting operator Betfred Sports and the state’s Paragon Casino Resort, helping officially mark the occasion.
A brand-new partnership between sports betting operator Betfred Sports and the state’s Paragon Casino Resort marks the official launch of retail sports betting in the Bayou State. ©USA-Reiseblogger/Pixabay
Paragon’s Tribal Casino Status Helped it Secure Early Approval
After many months, and indeed years, of waiting, retail sports betting is finally set to become a reality in the state of Louisiana: sports betting operator Betfred Sports has revealed that it secured a partnership with the state’s Paragon Casino Resort on October 6th, 2021.
The partnership means that the retail sports betting vertical will finally exist in the flesh in the Bayou State, with Betfred set to operate a sportsbook in Paragon Casino’s Draft Room, which will feature traditional betting counters and kiosks.
The Paragon Casino Resort is owned and operated by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, boasting a 64,000 square foot gaming area housing 1000 Vegas-style slot machines. This means the resort casino also technically holds tribal casino status, which is in large part why it was able to receive approval to launch separately in comparison to other gaming facilities in the state.
Chief operating officer of the Betfred Group, Mark Stebbings, described Louisiana as an exciting new territory for the operator to expand into, citing the group’s extensive experience as to why it will deliver Louisiana sports bettors the best possible experience:
“Louisiana is an exciting opportunity for Betfred Sports to continue its expansion in the U.S. after successful launches in Iowa, Colorado and Pennsylvania. We look forward to utilizing our 50 years of bookmaking experience with our fantastic partner, Paragon Casino Resort, to bring the best sports betting experience to bettors in the state.”– Mark Stebbings, Chief Operating Officer, Betfred Group
Parish-by-Parish Referendum Welcomed Sports Betting to LA in June 2020
The subject of legalizing sports betting in Louisiana first appeared in the public discourse in June 2020, when the topic ended up passing through a parish-by-parish referendum.
The actual launch of the legal market, however, was delayed until 2021, thanks to a somewhat arbitrary regulation permitting Louisiana to only pass new tax regulation in an odd-numbered year, meaning the state had to wait another year to pass laws relating to the taxation of the vertical.
Once June 2021 rolled around, the pieces of legislation were finally passed into law, which was the definitive step that set the launch of retail sports betting in Louisiana into motion.
Commenting on the partnership with Betfred Group, Paragon Casino general manager Marshall Sampson Sr. promised sports bettors a first-class betting platform:
“Our partnership with Betfred Sports marks a new chapter for Paragon – which has always been a source of pride for Marksville and the people of Louisiana. With this new partnership, I hope visitors from across the region will have the chance to experience it for themselves. Together, we are offering a first-class sports betting platform and venue that will make Paragon Casino Resort the place to bet and watch games in Louisiana.”– Marshall Sampson Sr., General Manager, Paragon Casino Resort
Betting Bills Narrowly Passed Legislature in June 2021
The two pieces of legislation which formally legalized sports betting in Louisiana actually only ended up squeaking through the state’s final legislative session before it paused for recess back in June 2021.
Senate Bill 247, which was sponsored by Senate President Patrick Page Cortez, and Senate Bill 142, courtesy of Senator Rick Ward III, both ended up being passed after extensive debate in a conference committee.
Bill co-sponsor Representative John Stefanski expressed confidence that the launch of sports betting would arrive in time for football season, citing the choice the Louisiana Gaming Board had between granting a physical sportsbook or, if not, then a mobile offering instead:
“I’m more optimistic now that sports betting will launch during football season. We gave the gaming control board the ability to give provisional licenses, so even if they don’t have a physical sportsbook built, they can go live with a mobile application. It’s very likely.”
A first round of amendments to each bill proposed by the House of Representatives ended up failing to pass the state’s Senate, only for a conference committee of legislators from each chamber agreeing to accept them.
The proposed amendments included measures such as allowing licensees to take cash wagers in their sportsbooks, redefining the definition of a gaming device in order to include sports wagering mechanisms, and the application of regulatory rules relating to sports wagering.
FanDuel Also Entered Louisiana This Year in May 2021
Louisiana sports bettors now have a wealth of different, high-quality sportsbooks to choose from, following the entrance of sports betting company FanDuel into the state back in May 2021.
The announcement came as part of the somewhat surprising and highly significant news where FanDuel, Caesars, and DraftKings all revealed that they were to become official sports betting partners of the NFL.
FanDuel’s new status as an official betting partner of the NFL is a large reason why the sportsbook provider did everything it could to launch in Louisiana in time for the kick-off of this year’s NFL season in September 2021.
Before it could actually do so, however, the Louisiana Gaming Board, in concert with state politicians, had to consider nine different laws needing approval before FanDuel could fully launch its operations.
