How We Selected The Top LA Sportsbooks
Louisiana is offering 40 licenses for online sports betting, so the motto appears to be “the more, the merrier.” Having this much variety is good for LA bettors, but it makes selecting the suitable option a bit tricky. We’ve subjected each betting site in Louisiana to a stringent review process to identify cream de la creme operators. Below are the criteria we considered when selecting the best online sportsbooks in Louisiana.
Regulation and Licensing
You can rest assured that the sites we recommend on this page are trustworthy and properly regulated. It is our policy to avoid offshore betting apps and to only consider betting apps that the Louisiana Gaming Control Board approves. The main reason to avoid out-of-country sportsbooks is that these brands lack accountability and oversight.
Should you bet on an offshore sportsbook and get ripped off, you’d have no legal recourse to take action. On the other hand, local books are required to comply with Louisiana laws and have undergone rigorous licensing procedures. They must follow technological safeguards and comply with regulatory requirements concerning player safety, transparency, and timely payouts. The bottom line is that while it is not expressly forbidden by Louisiana state law to access offshore books, we strongly recommend against it.
Sports and Market Selection
Bettors won’t have any trouble finding lines for the Pelicans, the Saints, and other pro teams across all four major leagues, thanks to our recommended books. And if you want to pursue other betting avenues, you’ll also find a range of niche sports to put a few bucks down on.
Bonuses and Promotions
The sports betting market in Louisianais extremely competitive, with sportsbooks offering huge welcome bonuses to gain an edge. Whether it’s risk-free bets or deposit matches, you can kick off your betting adventure with a bang. Existing bettors can benefit from daily odds boosts, insurance bets, reloads, and other running promos. We rate sportsbook bonuses based on their size and type and by how appealing their terms and conditions are.
Quality of Odds
Regardless of your betting experience, you need to pay attention to the odds at a sportsbook. You should note a few things, the most important of which are the margins, or juice, or vig. It represents the commission charged by a betting operator on each bet. A lower margin means a more attractive price and vice versa. Comparing lines and odds across various LA sportsbooks is recommended because margins can vary widely between sporting events, competitions, and betting apps.
Mobile Betting Apps
The mobile app’s user experience is one of the most important things we consider when evaluating a given sportsbook. Several factors contribute to the success of a mobile betting app. Above all, it should work smoothly, seamlessly and have all the same features as its desktop counterpart. Both mobile and desktop versions of the app must meet these requirements.
Banking Options and Features
When rating LA sportsbooks, payment method availability and payout processing speed are among the key performance indicators we look into. The more banking options are available, and the faster they process payouts, the better. Ultimately, you should be able to make transactions quickly and easily and collect your winnings in a timely manner.
Customer Care
In choosing a sportsbook for your betting ventures in Louisana, don’t overlook the value of attentive and reliable customer service. It is important to check the number of available communication channels, their response time, and the efficiency with which the support team resolves customer issues.
Brief History of Gambling in Louisiana
Gambling is deeply entrenched in Louisiana and has played an important role in the state’s history. The Pelican State is home to over twenty retail gambling venues, including several racetracks and riverboat casinos. On top of this, LA residents can enjoy video poker in restaurants, bars, gas stations, and truck stops throughout the southern parts of the state. State laws also permit poker and bingo, and DFS and sports betting more recently. Louisiana is thus a great gambling destination for players of all tastes and preferences.
Louisana’s gambling history dates to 1753 before it became a U.S. territory. That year the state opened its first government-run casino. This occurred after decades of attempts to outlaw gambling. When Louisiana became a U.S. state in 1812, it had the most casinos nationwide. There were more gambling venues in New Orleans alone than in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New York combined.
In the following year, the government outlawed casinos aside from those operating in New Orleans. And Crescent City had a thriving gambling industry prior to the Civil War.
In 1866, the Louisiana government launched the first state-run lottery and simultaneously outlawed statewide casino gambling (New Orleans included). The lottery went on to run until 1894 when it was discontinued.
Pretty much all forms of gambling remained illegal in LA until the 1920s when pari-mutuel horse race betting at New Orleans Fair Grounds commenced. The modern gambling era in Louisiana began in 1991 with the state’s legalization of video poker, 15 riverboat casinos, and New Orleans’ first brick-and-mortar casino.
Two years after this, several tribes entered into compacts with the state that allowed them to open casinos on their land. As of 1997, horse racing tracks were allowed to install slot machines.
Louisana’s gambling landscape has changed even more recently with the introduction of DFS and sports betting.
Sports Betting in Louisana: Timeline
The journey to this point has been long, from approving the referendum to passing legislation and placing the first bet. In the middle of it all, the following critical events occurred:
- February 2020: Sen. Cameron Henry introduces SB 130, a sports betting bill.
- May 2020: SB 130 gets approved by the Senate and House, respectively. It’s sent to the governor’s desk for signature (or veto).
- June 2020: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signs SB 130 into law, allowing parish-by-parish voting on sports betting.
- November 3, 2020: Voters in 56 of 64 Louisiana parishes approved the sports betting measure. The responsible bodies must enact the appropriate legislative framework to carry out the approval.
- Jun 2021: The Senate approves SB 247, which sets up protocols and oversight for sports betting. The governor signed the bill several days later. Simultaneously, HB 697, a companion tax bill, gets approved.
- August 2021: Louisiana Gaming Control Board passed emergency rules to govern the conduct of sports betting. Those rules, which came into effect on August 23, would last for 180 days or until permanent ones are adopted.
- October 31, 2021: Retail sports betting went live in Louisana. Former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert took the first bet at Harrah’s New Orleans Casino, Caesars-owned property.
January 28, 2022: Online sports betting launched in 55 of 64 Louisiana parishes. Six operators went live on an opening day, including heavy hitters DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, BetRivers, Barstool, and Caesars.
Sports Betting in Louisana: License and Tax Information
Thus far, Louisiana is the only state that has legalized sports betting within specific regions only. This is mainly because of Louisiana’s unique legislative structure. Namely, Louisiana holds the distinction for being the only Civil law jurisdiction in the U.S.
Up to 20 sportsbook licenses are allowed, so all existing casinos can apply. There can be a maximum of two skins or online betting apps per retail licensee. Additionally, LouisianaLottery would be given a mobile license and permitted to open betting kiosks at restaurants and bars throughout the parishes. When all is said and done, Louisiana could have as many as 41 sports betting apps, making it one of the most competitive markets in the country.
The tax rate is set at 10% for retail sportsbooks and 18% for online sportsbooks. The lion’s share of the tax revenue will go towards the general fund and early education.
How to Get Started in an Lousiana Online Sportsbook
Getting started with online sportsbooks in Louisiana takes only a few minutes. The majority of the legwork revolves around handpicking the right site. Aside from that, the process is a cakewalk. We’ll show you the ropes:
- Load the sportsbook. You can get started either on the sportsbook’s desktop platform or through mobile apps. Either way, you’ll need to visit the sportsbook’s official website via your browser.
- Sign up for an account. After firing up the sportsbook’s page, tap or click on the registration button. This will prompt you to the application form, where you’ll need to provide pieces of personal information to verify your ID. These include the name, address, cell number, and last four digits of your Social Security Number.
- Deposit. You must top up your account to be able to bet. Regardless of the sportsbook you chose, you’ll have several funding methods at your disposal. When you select the deposit method that works best for you, enter the required details (card/bank account number, e-wallet address). You’ll also probably be asked to provide the welcome bonus code at this stage.
Start betting. When your deposit settles (which should be right after you confirm the payment), you can start placing bets. The betting lounge is usually accessible via the left-side menus of the interface. Just select the market you want to bet on and input the stake.
Eligibility and Geolocation
You have to be physically present in one of the 55 parishes that approved sports betting in Louisana. The remaining nine parishes will be geofenced and not allowed to take bets. Similarly, sportsbooks are geofenced out of use in tribal lands; sports betting can only take place in these areas via apps operated by the tribe in question.
The legal gambling age in Louisiana for sports betting is 21. Remember that you don’t have to be a LA resident to bet, just located within eligible parishes while attempting to place a bet. Sportsbooks will use advanced geo trackers to pinpoint your whereabouts.
<h2>LouisianaSports Betting Partnerships With Professional Teams<h2>
Louisiana is home to two professional sports teams, both in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the NBA while the Saints are members of the National Football League and 2010 Super Bowl Champions.
Both of these franchises have chosen Caesars as their official sports betting partner. This decision was expected given Caesars’ strong pedigree in Louisana. The gambling juggernaut teamed up with the Saints and Pelicans in 2018 via a deal that saw Harrah’s in New Orleans the official casino partner of these major teams.
What Types of Bets Can I Make in Louisana
Louisiana online sportsbooks feature a wide range of bets irrespective of the sport and level of co a moneyline bet. The minus (-) sign denotes the favorite team (player) in the contest; the attached odds show how much you need to stake to win $100. Underdogs carry a plus (+) sign, and the associated price shows how much you’d earn for a $100 winning wager on that side.
- Point spread: This bet is aking to the points differential, or margin of victory. The perceived favorite will have points deducted from its score; that same number of points is then added to the underdogs’ total. If the spread is at -/+8.5, that means that the favorite team needs to win by 9 or more to cover. Conversely, it also means that the underdog can lose less than 9 to win the bet.
- Totals: With totals, you’re betting on whether the combined score of both teams will go over or under a particular line posted by the book.
- Props: These are bets on miscellaneous aspects within a game. For instance, you could bet on whether the Pelicans would win the jump ball or whether the Saints’ game will go to overtime. In addition to team-related props, you’ll find a slew of player-based proposition wagers.
- Futures: Here, you’re betting on long-term occurrences; most often, these markets include winners of specific conferences/divisions as well as outright championship winners in major sports. For instance, you can bet on the Pelicans to make the playoffs before the season starts.
- Combo bets: There are three main combo wagers, parlays, teasers, and round robins. Each of them has a different MO; the common denominator is that they all feature more than one selection (legs). The potential payout rises with the added legs, which makes them potentially highly lucrative and also difficult to hit.
Live bets: In-play bets are made on events that have begun. Expert bettors use in-play betting to hedge the wagers they’ve made before the game has started. mpetition. Still, the offer is the most extensive for the most prominent events, such as the Super Bowl, World Series, or the NBA Finals.
Here’s a rundown of the most commonly offered types of bets in LA betting sites: Moneyline: This is the simplest type of wager, which includes picking the winning side only. Factors like winning margin and total points scored in the game are irrelevant to the outcome.
Are Any Bets Off-Limits?
Betting laws in Louisiana are among the most lenient ones in the country. Unlike states like New Jersey, New York, Illinois, and Virginia, Louisiana allows betting on local college teams. This means that LA bettors can get in on the action with LSU, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Lafayette.
Esports betting is still a work in progress. Sportsbooks can offer odds on esports events, but regulators have the right to reject them afterward. DFS betting has also been legalized.
Responsible Gambling in Louisiana
Louisiana sportsbooks foster a responsible usa online gambling environment and offer several tools to prevent and combat problem gambling. Bettors can set up deposit, wager, and time limits to better control their spending habits. In addition, they can impose a cooling-off period or self-exclusion ban on their accounts.
LOUISIANA SPORTS BETTING
Is sports betting legal in Louisana?
Yes, sports betting was legalized in Louisianain November 2020, albeit not in all parishes. Online sportsbooks launched on January 28, 2022.
Who regulates sports betting in Louisana?
The LouisianaGaming Control Board is the main regulatory body for betting in the state.
What is the minimum age for placing a bet in Louisana?
You have to be 21 or above to place real money bets in Louisana. This goes for both land-based and online sportsbooks.
Are Louisianabetting sites safe?
The ones listed on this page certainly are. These brands are licensed by the LGCB, comply with strict regulatory requirements, and use cutting-edge security measures to protect their servers.
Do I need to be a Louisiana resident to bet with LA sportsbooks?
No, but you must be present inside the state lines, specifically within the parishes that approved sports betting.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do LA betting sites have any bonuses and promotions?
Absolutely! Sports betting sites in Louisiana feature numerous bonuses and promotions. With every sportsbook, a hefty welcome bonus follows a series of ongoing promotions that can come in the form of odds boosts, insurance bets, or prize contests.
Do I need to register in-person to bet online?
No, Louisiana doesn’t have an in-person registration requirement in place.
Do Louisiana sportsbooks have apps?
Yes, every online sportsbook that launched in Louisiana so far has standalone mobile apps for iOS and Android. You’ll find downloadable links on their homepages.
Does Louisiana have retail sportsbooks?
Yes, Louisiana brick-and-mortar casinos are allowed to host betting shops.
How quickly can I cash out my winnings from an LA sportsbook?
On average, it takes 48-72 hours to withdraw winnings from an online sportsbook in Louisiana. If you order a payout via checks, it will take substantially longer than that. E-wallets are generally the fastest payment method.