Now that New York Sports Betting is Live, Louisiana Looks to Be Next in Line

Now that New York sports betting apps have gone live, the next major player, Louisiana, is expected within weeks to launch mobile wagering.

Louisiana is projected to have mobile sports betting up and running in time for the Super Bowl next month, if not sooner, Ronnie Johns, chairman of the state Gaming Control Board, told Gambling.com.

“I’ve got the Super Bowl in my sights,” Johns said Monday.

The NFL’s 56th Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, about 20 minutes south of Los Angeles. The league’s playoff games begin on Saturday to determine the two Super Bowl teams. Saturday’s wild-card winners will advance to the next round.

Johns said if mobile wagering is operational in time for some NFL playoff games, “that would be great.”

NFL betting is what most bettors in the country prefer. The Super Bowl is always a major betting day for brick-and-mortar and online sportsbooks.

Mobile Geofencing Concerns Being Addressed

The Control Board chairman told Gambling.com on Monday that a definite start date has not been set for Louisiana mobile sports betting.

Johns said he doesn’t want to set a date that would have to be changed if something unexpected happens.

One aspect state regulators are addressing is whether mobile geofencing is in place and will work property on the launch date. In a November 2020 statewide election, nine of Louisiana’s 64 parishes rejected sports betting within parish boundaries. In Louisiana, counties are referred to as parishes.

Johns, a former Republican state senator, said he wants to be sure mobile sports betting won’t be allowed to occur in any of those nine parishes.

Louisiana First Regional State With Online Wagering

Once mobile sports wagering is operational in Louisiana, it will be the first state the Gulf Coast region with wagering available to bettors wanting to use their smartphones or computers to put money on sports and other events.

Betting already is allowed at sportsbooks inside Louisiana casinos. Bettors can wager on 31 competitions, including not only on major sports such as football, but also on darts, volleyball, the Academy Awards, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest and more.

In another Gulf Coast state, Florida, mobile wagering was briefly allowed during November on the Seminole Hard Rock Sportsbook app, but that has been discontinued in a federal legal dispute.

Texas Mobile Bettors Expected to Wager in Louisiana

In addition to coming out of the gate before its neighboring states, Louisiana benefits from having Texas on its western border. Sports betting is illegal in Texas, the nation’s second-most populous state, behind only California.

Louisiana probably will see a large number of Texans crossing over the state line to place bets on their smartphones, Johns told Gambling.com. Texas lawmakers won’t have a chance to vote on legalizing sports betting until the next session in 2023 at the Capitol in Austin.

Louisiana also will be the first state with a Southeastern Conference West Division university to legalize mobile sports betting.

With the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide among the competitive football teams in that highly regarded division, intense betting interest is expected on mobile platforms into the next football season. By then, at least one other SEC West state, Arkansas, home of the Razorbacks, is projected to have mobile wagering available to bettors.

41 Mobile Skins Authorized for Sports Betting

Johns told Gambling.com he and the Louisiana State Police are committed to making sure mobile sports betting is handled properly. State Police troopers are tasked with vetting the online bookmakers applying for a mobile license in Louisiana. That effort is expected to be completed soon.

Each of Louisiana’s 20 casinos is allowed two “skins,” the industry term for online platforms and accompanying smartphone apps. The Louisiana Lottery Corp. also is allowed one skin, bringing the total available in the state to 41.

Online bookmakers are required to partner with a state-regulated casino in making the skins available to bettors, State Police Lt. Robert Fontenot told Gambling.com.