Louisiana's Sweepstakes Casino Ban to Take Effect August 1

House Bill 883, signed by Gov. Jeff Landry, rewrites Louisiana's definition of illegal gambling to explicitly cover dual-currency online games. The bill passed the House 98-0 and the Senate 35-0 before heading to the governor's desk.

Under HB 883, penalties for operating this style of "gambling by computer" rise sharply: the maximum fine increases from $20,000 to $100,000, while the maximum prison sentence remains at five years.

Landry signed HB 883 alongside a second bill, HB 53, which expands Louisiana's organized crime statute to explicitly cover gambling violations. HB 53 exposes sweepstakes operators to racketeering charges carrying penalties of up to 50 years of hard labor and fines of up to $1 million.

Passing the two laws in parallel gives Louisiana prosecutors a notably wider toolkit than a standard ban, potentially reaching executives, affiliates, payment processors, and marketers connected to the industry, not just the platforms themselves.

Both laws take effect on August 1, 2026.

This isn't Louisiana's first attempt at a sweepstakes ban. Landry vetoed a similar proposal, Senate Bill 181, in 2025, arguing existing law already gave prosecutors sufficient authority to act.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill subsequently issued a formal legal opinion concluding that dual-currency platforms had already violated state law, and the Gaming Control Board and AG's office sent cease-and-desist letters to operators, a move that led over 40 major sweepstakes brands to exit the state or drop their purchasable-coin offerings.

HB 883 and HB 53 close the legal ambiguity that Landry originally cited, explicitly writing the prohibition into statute rather than relying on the interpretation of existing gambling law.

You should redeem any outstanding Sweeps Coins before enforcement begins in earnest. Major platforms have a track record of exiting states ahead of similar deadlines elsewhere, so it's worth checking your account status and cashing out any redeemable balances well before the deadline rather than waiting until the last moment.

You will still be able to play at social casinos in Louisiana, where the virtual currency has no redeemable cash value.

This law doesn’t affect sweeps players outside of Louisiana. If your state allows sweepstakes casinos, you will still have access to your favorite platforms.