- Louisiana legislators unanimously passed a bill to ban sports bettors found guilty of harassing athletes.
- They join Ohio, West Virginia, and Wyoming as the only other three states to do so.
- Governor Jeff Landry must now sign the bill into law.
BATON ROUGE, La. – Legislators in Louisiana are making big strides to uphold sportsmanship amongst sports bettors, sending a bill against sports betting related harassment of athletes to the desk of Governor Jeff Landry.
SB 325 – which aims to “exclude certain persons from participating in sports wagering” if they are found to have harassed athletes – passed unanimously through both the House and the Senate with 139 votes for and none against.
It is now up to the governor to sign the bill into law, which is widely expected to be finalized soon.
Harassment Has Been A Real Issue
While there have been plenty of benefits that come with the broad legalization of sports betting across the country, there have certainly been some drawbacks as well, including the harassment of athletes.
Especially with social media, it is easier to get in contact with players than ever, which can lead to some nasty interactions from sports bettors who are unhappy that certain players didn’t meet certain thresholds in certain games.
A report from early April of 2026 highlighted the Cleveland Guardians and their experiences with fans who have said terrible things, including sending death threats.
Other States Have Implemented Similar Laws
Louisiana will become the fourth state to implement a law for this exact problem, following in the footsteps of Ohio, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Each of the other three states has had their laws in place since 2024-2025, which has led to many players receiving permanent bans from legal sports betting sites and in-person sports betting in the state.
It would be unsurprising to see others follow this path in the coming years, as protection for athletes has become a point of emphasis for many in the sports betting world.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has vocalized his opinion that student athletes in particular should be protected. New York has explored some options to create protections for athletes from sports betting as well.
