Online sportsbooks can lawfully start taking bets in on Friday early morning, joining their brick-and-mortar cousins that are currently accepting wagers from players in the Pelican State.
" [Louisiana Gaming Control Board] Chairman Ronnie Johns announces that presently qualified sports wagering operators will be approved to accept mobile bets as early as 8:00 a.m. Friday morning," a news release said Wednesday. "The remaining mobile sports betting operators remain in the procedure of conference statutory and regulatory requirements and will be authorized when those requirements are satisfied."
One operator that intends on taking wagers on Friday in Louisiana is Caesars Sportsbook. The bookmaker's owner, Nevada-based Caesars Entertainment Inc., operates casinos in the southern state that currently offer retail sports betting on their homes.
"We've seen tremendous interest in legal sports betting considering that the opening of our Caesars Sportsbooks at Harrah's New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City," stated Eric Hession, co-president of Caesars Digital, in a declaration. "Come Friday, through the app, we'll have the ability to provide a lot more opportunities to experience the thrill of sports betting."
Other mobile sportsbooks anticipated to go live in Louisiana on Friday consist of BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel.
More broadly, though, Wednesday's news will include another state to the growing map of locations where online sports betting is legal and operational in the U.S. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board's statement also means that online sports wagering will be authorized in time for the next round of the National Football League's playoffs and the Super Bowl thereafter.
Prep work
Voters in 55 of Louisiana's 64 parishes (similar to counties) enacted favor of permitting sports betting back in November 2020. Lawmakers then passed legislation last year permitting the video gaming control panel to provide approximately 20 licenses for in-person and online sportsbooks, with choice provided towards the state's gambling establishments and live horse-racing tracks. The Louisiana Lottery Corp. is permitted to take sports wagers through site, mobile app, and retail kiosks also.
In-person sports wagering has actually already begun at several casinos throughout Louisiana. Online wagering, nevertheless, has actually needed a bit more time and effort from regulators to make sure things run efficiently and in accordance with the state's sports-betting rules.
Gaming Control Panel Chairman Ronnie Johns informed Covers recently that regulators were getting close to presenting online sports betting. At the time, though, Johns said that they wanted to make sure a good experience for bettors and could not ensure mobile wagering would be up and running in time for the Super Bowl. That is no longer the case.
While the main licensees in Louisiana will be the owners and operators of brick-and-mortar facilities, the consumer-facing brand names for mobile betting will be some of the biggest names in the organization. That's because licensees can also partner with approximately two platform service providers for online sports betting, each of which are enabled to offer their own individually branded website and mobile app in the state.
Some sportsbook operators had started pre-registration efforts ahead of the official launch of online betting. For example, Caesars Entertainment revealed in October that its Caesars Sportsbook app was officially offered for gamblers to download, but just so they might register, deposit funds, and start checking chances. WynnBET announced on Wednesday that it was similarly permitting pre-registration and deposits in the state.
