Mobile Sports Betting Launches in Louisiana Today

After much anticipation, mobile sports betting is finally live in Louisiana. The launch was confirmed on Wednesday by Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns, who said, "Our goal was to have it available before the Super Bowl, so we were able to beat that target." As mobile betting launches today, it will facilitate "bets for this weekend's NFL conference championship games."

A Long Time Coming

Following a parish-by-parish referendum in November 2020, sports betting in the state was legalized, with 54 out of 64 parishes voting in favor. However, Louisiana only permits passing a new tax law in an odd-numbered year. As such, regulations were only signed into law in June 2021.

The market finally launched in October when Betfred Sports began accepting in-person bets at Paragon Casino Resort. Caesars was right on its heel, launching at several properties, including Harrah's New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City Hotel & Casino properties.

At this time, mobile wagering had still been awaiting regulatory approval.

Big Operators on the Roll Out

Johns indicated that FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, BetFred, and BetMGM are in the lineup of operators kicking off mobile sports bets in the state.

Caesars earlier confirmed its rollout for today's launch. The group already made its mobile sportsbook available to customers in Louisiana ahead of the state officially opening its regulated mobile sports betting market.

On the app, bettors can place a range of bets on several sports. The app will also allow access to the Caesars Rewards program. "This is an opportunity the brand has been working towards for a long time," said Caesars Digital co-president Eric Hession.

"We have a proud history of operating in Louisiana with our properties Harrah's New Orleans, Horseshoe Bossier City, and the soon to re-open Horseshoe Lake Charles. We can't wait to offer Louisianans more convenient access to Caesars Rewards through the Caesars Sportsbook app.

"We've seen tremendous interest in legal sports betting since the opening of our Caesars Sportsbooks at Harrah's New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City.....Through the app, we'll be able to offer even more opportunities to experience the thrill of sports wagering."

DraftKings also confirmed it would go live today. DraftKings' co-founder and president of North America, Matt Kalish, mentioned that the online sportsbook launch would serve as a significant milestone for the company, which already has a solid footing in the state with a debut of daily fantasy products and retail sportsbook in the past year.

"Although Louisiana bettors have previously been able to place wagers in person at our Golden Nugget Casino Lake Charles location, the arrival of mobile betting greatly enhances accessibility and adoption potential within the Pelican State."

BetMGM is the third operator joining today's launch, while WynnBet began pre-registration for Louisiana players this week.

Sports betting will not be available in the parishes where voters rejected the gaming expansion, including Caldwell, Catahoula, Franklin, Jackson, LaSalle, Sabine, Union, West Carroll, and Winn. Geofencing technology will prevent residents in those parishes from placing mobile bets.