Voters will decide the fate of Sports Betting for their individual parish today. Currently, the only sports wagering allowed in Louisiana is online fantasy sports contests in parishes approved in 2018. Public Affairs Research Council President Robert Travis Scott says this vote is open to all parishes and would accept wagers on any sporting event.
“That means if your parish says yes, sports wagering will be allowed in your parish. And that means it can be allowed in your casinos, if you have the appropriate casinos and that you can do it online,” said Scott.
Scott says if your parish approves sports wagering don’t expect to place your bets immediately.
“If this passes in your parish, the state legislature will then come later and form the regulations that go around this. Probably implement a tax on it and there will probably even be a local tax as well as a state tax,” Scott said.
Proponents say sports betting is already done illegally so why not legalize it and collect state and local revenue. Scott says opponents see this as another way to lure younger gamblers.
“The Louisiana Family Forum sees a lot of problems with this because of the societal ills that come out of it. We know that the gambling industry is very interested in young people being pulled into a more formal betting environment, either in the casinos or online,” said Scott.
If your parish does not have a casino and sports betting is approved, you can then legally wager online once legislation is passed