Louisiana Sports Betting Goes Live on Friday
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Mobile sports betting in Louisiana is now live.
Starting at 8 a.m. today, bettors began legally using smartphones and computers across the state to wager on sports and other events.
Among the online bookmakers accepting bets are Barstool, BetFred, BetMGM Sportsbook Louisiana, Caesars Sportsbook Louisiana, DraftKings and FanDuel. Bettors can download these apps on their smartphones and start using them immediately.
Betting has been legal at sportsbooks inside state-regulated casinos since Oct. 31, but Friday marked the first-day bettors in Louisiana could use mobile devices to wager on events.
Former LSU Stars Highlight Mobile-Betting Launch
The mobile launch coincides with this weekend’s NFL championship games.
The AFC game on Sunday between the Kansas City Chiefs and visiting Cincinnati Bengals features former LSU players whose popularity in the Bayou State is expected to generate heavy wagering, Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns told Gambling.com.
On the Bengals‘ side, quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase led the 2019 LSU Tigers to a national title.
The Chiefs feature defense back Tyrann Mathieu, who played at LSU several years before Burrow and Chase were at the school in Baton Rouge. Mathieu became known during his LSU years as the Honey Badger.
The Bengals-Chiefs game on Sunday has “created an incredible interest in Louisiana,” Johns told Gambling.com.
The Bengals entered the weekend as 7-point underdogs. The over/under was 54.5 combined points. Kickoff is at 2:05 p.m. CT.
Super Bowl, March Madness on Tap in Coming Weeks
Louisiana allows bettors to wager on 31 events, including the Academy Awards and Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island in New York. Betting also is permitted on volleyball, darts, soccer and more.
However, the heaviest wagering is on high-profile events like this weekend’s NFL championship games, putting Louisiana in position to come out of the gate with strong mobile-betting numbers.
Other upcoming events expected to generate major betting interest include the Winter Olympics, beginning the first week of February, and the NFL’s Super Bowl on Feb. 13. The league’s 56th Super Bowl is set to be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Closer to home, Louisiana should see substantial wagering during the NCAA Men’s Final Four basketball tournament, to be played April 2-4 at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome, the Control Board chairman told Gambling.com.
Bettors also are likely to wager heavily on who the next New Orleans Saints head coach might be with Sean Payton stepping down this week.
Louisiana Only Regional State With Mobile Wagering
With the launch of mobile wagering on Friday, Louisiana becomes the only state along the Gulf Coast, from Texas to Florida, with statewide legal mobile sports betting.
With 30 million residents, Texas is the second-most populous state, behind California, but does not have legal sports betting. CA is currently working on putting betting legalization. If that goes through, sports betting in California may go live in 2023/24. Beginning Friday, many Texans are expected to drive across the state line to use their smartphones to bet on sports in Louisiana.
Even without mobile wagering, Lake Charles in Southwestern Louisiana is emerging as the state’s top gaming market because of its proximity to the Texas-Louisiana border, Johns told Gambling.com.
The nation’s fourth-largest city, Houston, is only about two hours from Lake Charles.
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