Louisiana’s stubborn attempts to bring sports betting to the state gets another go around this year as there is a measure to legalize it again.
According to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, this year’s ballot asks voters to approve wagering on football games and other sports.
The promises are the same, passing such a measure would mean jobs, revenue, more state services and the ability to capture gambling dollars which have flowed over to Mississippi since they legalized sports betting.
State Senator Cameron Henry calls it’s a revenue generator. He’s sponsoring this year’s legislation which put the measure on the ballot. "This would obviously be an addition to anything they would normally receive," Henry told the paper.
Still, the legislature would have to hammer out the rules and how the betting would be regulated.
"If we focus strictly on a bricks-and-mortar system that will not be as beneficial to the state as if we move to more of an online model," Henry says.
If digital gambling is allowed, upwards of $300-MLN could be raked in by digital gaming outfits.
Richard Carbo, a proponent with Louisiana Wins told the TP/NOA: "We’re losing out on more than $330 million in taxable revenue while states next door like Arkansas and Mississippi use sports wagering revenues for education and infrastructure. That revenue could be used to fund roads and bridges or help fill gaps in education funding here in Louisiana.”
Donors to Louisiana Wins include big-name online gaming companies FanDuel and DraftKings. They’ve pitched in nearly a million dollars to pass the measure.
"Supporting this proposal keeps our tax dollars here in Louisiana to fund our priorities. The Legislature overwhelmingly approved this plan, and now the voters can have their say,” says Carbo.
But critics believe electronic gaming is nothing more than a net for youths. Still some politicians like J. Rogers Pope continue to oppose gaming in any form. Wagering is allowed in 18-states and Washington D.C.