After nearly three months with just retail sportsbooks, mobile Louisiana sports betting is now live.
Sports betting in Louisiana launched Oct. 31 as regulators worked to clear the path to mobile wagering. Now, six operators are open to take bets online in Louisiana.
You can read more about all the Louisiana sportsbook apps here, including offers and how to get online sports betting accounts started.
On Wednesday, Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chair Ronnie Johns gave six sportsbooks the all-clear to launch 9 a.m. ET today in the Bayou State:
- Barstool Sportsbook
- BetMGM Sportsbook
- BetRivers Sportsbook
- Caesars Sportsbook
- DraftKings Sportsbook
- FanDuel Sportsbook
All confirmed they plan to launch Friday. Those sportsbooks will be available in the 55 of the state’s 64 parishes that approved sports betting in 2020.
What to expect from Louisiana sports betting
Retail sportsbook handle grew during the first two months of operation. In December, 11 retail sportsbooks took $39.5 million in bets, a 43% increase from the $27.6 million handle in November.
Louisiana has two professional sports teams in the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, as well as an SEC powerhouse in LSU.
Meanwhile, Houston and Dallas are major metropolitan areas within a fairly quick drive to the Louisiana border. So until Texas sports betting is legal, there could be a fair amount of bettors making the trek.
Jostling for top position
It will be an interesting market to watch in terms of the top Louisiana sportsbook. Caesars pushed hard to position itself strongly in Louisiana, ramping up its presence in the state by securing a variety of partnerships:
This summer, DraftKings launched as the state’s first DFS operator, followed by FanDuel in the fall. BetMGM launched its horse racing app in the fall.
WynnBet has former LSU and NBA star Shaquille O’Neal as an ambassador, while PointsBet has a deal with former Saints QB and NBC football analyst Drew Brees.
Louisiana sports betting launch goals
When enabling LA sports betting legislation in spring 2021, legislators were hopeful the state’s sportsbooks would launch by the start of the NFL season, but retail sports betting did not launch until Oct. 31. Around that time, Johns hoped online could be up and running by early 2022.
By the December LGCB meeting, he adjusted his goal to be Feb. 13 to capture Super Bowl betting.
With today’s launch, sportsbooks can capture additional NFL betting action while Louisiana bettors cheer on former LSU star Joe Burrow in the AFC Championship Game.
More LA sports betting apps await approval
Churchill Downs owns Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, so TwinSpires could be in line for a license soon. WynnBet gained market access through Caesars, while PointsBet has an access deal with Penn National.
There can be up to 40 online Louisiana sportsbooks as each of the state’s 20 casinos received two skins in LA sports betting legislation.
The Louisiana Lottery also will have an online presence, along with kiosks at retailers throughout the state. A process to find a sportsbook partner is underway, with responses to an RFI due Feb. 15.
