Louisiana Goes Live With DFS, Sports Betting Inching Behind

Louisiana is still set on launching sportsbooks during the 2021 NFL season.
Mobile sports betting platforms will be the first to be seen in the state.
DraftKings was approved on Thursday to become the first licensed DFS platform in Louisiana and can now launch immediately.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Sports bettors in Louisiana can rejoice in the fact that lawmakers are still gearing toward a Fall launch of sportsbooks in the 55 of 64 parishes that voted in favor of a sports gaming industry. There was chatter of delays taking place due to rules and regulations not yet being finalized for a market to go live in 2021 but those rumors have since been squashed.

The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States Conference held in Chicago this week had a number of important industry people in attendance. One such person was Christopher Hebert, the Gaming Division Director for the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office.

The rumor in the state was that the Louisiana sports wagering market was suffering from delays because there is no Chairman to lead the way. However, Hebert said at the Conference that the Vice Chairman is able to make all final decisions regarding the rules and regulations for sports betting.

Sports Betting & DFS In Louisiana

DraftKings has been awarded the first DFS license in the state for the platform to go live as of Thursday, a feat after being regulated years ago. A launch of the application can now happen immediately.

“As DraftKings continues our nationwide expansion, we welcome Louisiana to the DraftKings family, an area rich with culture, heritage, and die-hard fanbases in both professional and college sports,” said Matt Kalish, co-founder and president of DraftKings North America. “The Bayou will now have access to our world-leading Daily Fantasy Sports product as we ramp up toward the kickoff of football season.”

As for regulated sports betting, Hebert says rules and regulations for the industry are being worked out day and night in order to go live for NFL betting. While a launch of the market may not occur in time for the start of football, it will be opened during the season so that Louisiana will be able to benefit from the best time of year for sportsbooks in regards to the amount of activity seen through football wagers.

What’s Ahead For Louisiana?

To be able to launch, stakeholders will have a meeting in August to go over the drafted rules for the sports wagering industry. If approved, operations will receive temporary licensure to go live as there will be an emergency clause placed upon the approval of the regulations to make this a reality.

Through these temporary licenses, mobile sportsbooks can begin to do business immediately in the state and take a bulk of wagers on the 2021 NFL season. When all is said and done permanently, Louisiana will be home to 20 land-based sports betting venues, 40 mobile platforms, and online and sports gaming terminals at various locations to be done through the Louisiana Lottery.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.