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Online gambling Louisiana — a guide to Louisiana gambling laws

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Checked by Geraldine S.Lorella F.

Louisiana online gambling is a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got remote sports betting going on to a strong start, but everything else is awaiting regulation, including online casinos. 

Our experts have done a deep dive into what’s legally available in the state, and where you can find the best sites to play on. From sports betting sites to social casinos and online poker, you’ll find detailed research to kick you off on a fun and safe gambling experience. 

If you have a specific area of interest, the cards below will help you zoom in to your topic. Or keep scrolling for a more detailed guide to Louisiana gambling laws.

Best online gambling sites Louisiana — at a glance

What better way to start than a quick look at the best Louisiana online gambling sites. Sometimes people just don’t feel like experimenting and want to jump to the best sites on the market straight away. 

Luckily for you, finding the best gambling sites is exactly what we specialize in. We’ve gone through legal Louisiana online gambling sites to find the best ones for you to enjoy. Unfortunately, Louisiana gambling laws prohibit online casinos, so the options available are quite limited. Still, you should be able to find plenty to enjoy in these excellent gambling Louisiana sites:

Sportsbook logo Odds rating Bonus Go to sportsbook Button Show more T&C
1
Caesars sportsbook review
90/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 94% Playscore based on Bet $1, Double your Winnings Your Next 10 Bets
Play now

Good to know

  • Excellent rewards program
  • Fast payouts
  • Bet on 20 different sports

9 payment methods

PayPal
Visa
Discover
MasterCard
VIP Preferred
Bank Transfer
Skrill
PayNearMe
Play+
2
BetMGM review
85/100 Expert rating by Anna M. 91% Playscore based on Up to $1,500 back in Bonus Bets
Play now

Good to know

  • Strong odds on football
  • Stellar customer support
  • Live streaming and live data

14 payment methods

VIP Preferred
Visa
MasterCard
TAPPP
PayNearMe
PayPal
Skrill
Play+
Bank Transfer
American Express
Discover
Cash at Casino Cage
Check
e-Check
3
Sportzino logo
Sportzino review
84/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 91% Playscore based on Up to 200,000 Gold Coins + 9 Sweeps Coins
Play now

Good to know

  • 41 sports
  • Early Withdraw option
  • Politics and entertainment betting

6 payment methods

Visa
MasterCard
Discover
ACH Network
Skrill
Trustly
4
BetRivers review
83/100 Expert rating by Ian Z. 86% Playscore based on Second Chance Bet of up to $250
Play now

Good to know

  • Many regular promotions
  • Huge number of sports
  • Trusted by many state licensors

6 payment methods

PayNearMe
MasterCard
PayPal
Play+
Discover
Visa
5
fliff-casino-logo
Fliff review
80/100 Expert rating by Ramona D. 83% Playscore based on 100% up to $100 FC
Play now

Good to know

  • Good sport selection
  • Offers college sports
  • Available in 41 states

5 payment methods

PayPal
Visa
Bank Transfer
MasterCard
Skrill
6
betr logo
Betr review
80/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 83% Playscore based on 100% up to $100 BC
Play now

Good to know

  • Free and cash betting
  • Rewarding tournaments
  • Offers college sports

5 payment methods

PayPal
Visa
Bank Transfer
MasterCard
Skrill
7
BetRivers.NET sportsbook review
80/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 86% Playscore based on 250 Virtual Credits
Play now

Good to know

  • Politics and entertainment betting
  • Free credits every 2 hours
  • Live social betting

6 payment methods

Visa
MasterCard
American Express
Discover
PayPal
Bank Transfer

It’s the big question on everyone’s mind: is gambling legal in Louisiana? Well, yes and no. Thanks to Louisiana gambling laws, it is important to understand that online gambling in Louisiana is only legal in the parishes that voted for it in the 2020 referendum. Therefore, until further notice, only 55 of the 64 Louisiana parishes have legal online gambling. If you’re curious, here are the 9 Louisiana parishes that you can’t bet in:

As for the parishes that you can bet in, there are still some caveats. Online casino gambling is still illegal, as is online poker. Online sports betting is legal, though you do need to physically be in the parish to make the bet. The gambling age for Louisiana is 21, so you’ll also need to make sure you’re that age or older before you can make online bets. With all this in mind, we wouldn’t blame anyone if they got a little bit confused with Louisiana gambling laws. So we’ve prepared this simple table for you guys to help keep track of everything.

Gambling verticalOffline legal ageOnline legal ageOnline since
Casinos21N/AN/A
Sportsbooks21212021
Charitable Gambling21211968
Poker21N/AN/A
Lottery21N/AN/A
Daily Fantasy Sports21212018

Louisiana online betting sites — legal since 2021

The Pelican State is lacking in online gambling options, however, Louisiana gambling laws do allow for remote sports betting. Not only that, but Louisiana has some pretty good options in this department. I guess if you’re only going to do one thing, then you might as well do it properly. 

Louisiana legalized sports betting on 28th January 2022, and since then quite a few sportsbooks have rushed to the state. These include established brands like Fanduel, BetRivers, Caesars, and the ever-present BetMGM. These sportsbooks are some of the most trusted on the market, with BetMGM especially seemingly on a mission to be available in every state in the USA. 

If you’re looking for something a bit different, you can also try out DraftKings or WynnBET. These sites may not be as well known as their contemporaries, but they’re both eager to impress, with DraftKings offering daily boosted odds and WynnBET having low wagering requirements.

Social casinos — the best alternative to Louisiana online casinos

As stated above, online casinos are still illegal in Louisiana. This means that if you’re caught playing at an unlicensed online casino in Louisiana, it’s not just the casino that could get in trouble. You will be subject to a fine, or even possible imprisonment. To make matters worse, unlicensed casinos would not have gone through the rigorous safety testing of the state and could be very dangerous for you. So if you don’t want your identity stolen and end up in jail, we suggest staying off the unlicensed casinos. 

Instead, you can go with the legal alternative, which is social casinos. Social casinos are just like normal casinos, except totally free. Instead of using real money, these casinos will let you place bets with a fake virtual currency. They’re great for a bit of light-hearted fun, as well as trying out casino games before betting real money on them in a different state. We’ve listed a few good ones that you can sample for yourselves or check out our dedicated page for the best online casinos in Louisiana

Casino Logo Odds rating Bonus Go to casino Button Show more T&C
1
WOW Vegas logo
WOW Vegas review
94/100 Expert rating by Anna M. 92% Playscore based on 1.5 million WOW Coins + 35 free Sweepstakes Coins
Play now

Good to know

  • Daily log-in bonus
  • 1,000+ slots to play
  • 35 SC on first purchase

8 payment methods

American Express
Apple Pay
MasterCard
Skrill
Visa
Trustly
Discover
Diners Club
2
Ding Ding Ding logo
Ding Ding Ding review
91/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 82% Playscore based on 200,000 Gold Coins + 3 Sweepstakes Coins
Play now

Good to know

  • Cryptocurrency purchases
  • Over 960 games
  • 9 live games

15 payment methods

Visa
MasterCard
American Express
Discover
Google Pay
Cryptocurrency
Bitcoin
Ethereum
Litecoin
Bitcoin Cash
Tron
Tether
Dash
ACH Network
Gift cards
3
Legendz review
89/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 83% Playscore based on 500 Gold Coins + 3 FREE Sweeps Coins
Play now

Good to know

  • AI-powered live chat
  • 22 software providers
  • Live casino available

8 payment methods

Visa
MasterCard
Bank Transfer
Apple Pay
Google Pay
Trustly
Skrill
Gift cards
4
fortune coins logo
Fortune Coins review
89/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 92% Playscore based on Up to 650,000 Gold Coins and 1,400 Sweeps Coins
Play now

Good to know

  • Daily bonuses
  • Regular social media contests
  • Unique Fish Games

6 payment methods

Visa
MasterCard
Skrill
Discover
Bank Transfer
ACH Network
5
Spree.com review
89/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 79% Playscore based on 1,000,000 Gold Coins + 2.5 Spree Coins
Play now

Good to know

  • 850+ games
  • 3 live games available
  • Fast gift card redemptions

5 payment methods

Visa
MasterCard
Apple Pay
Bank Transfer
Gift cards
6
Zula logo
Zula review
89/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 87% Playscore based on Up to 120,000 Gold Coins + 10 Sweeps Coins
Play now

Good to know

  • Monthly raffles
  • Unique fish games
  • Bespoke software

3 payment methods

Visa
MasterCard
Skrill
7
McLuck social casino logo
McLuck review
88/100 Expert rating by Charlie S. 90% Playscore based on 57,000 Gold Coins + 27.5 free Sweeps Coins
Play now

Good to know

  • Exclusive Time2play bonus code
  • 150% bonus on $9.99 package
  • Live casino games

4 payment methods

Visa
MasterCard
Apple Pay
Google Pay
8
Chumba review
88/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 87% Playscore based on 2,000,000 Gold Coins and 2 FREE Sweeps Coins
Play now

Good to know

  • Free virtual currency daily
  • Compete for extra rewards
  • Safe and secure payments

9 payment methods

MasterCard
American Express
Visa
Discover
Skrill
paysafecard
Trustly
Bank Transfer
Gift cards
9
Sweepsteaks Ltd
Stake.us review
88/100 Expert rating by Claire S. 96% Playscore based on 250,000 Gold Coins and $25 Stake Cash
Play now

Good to know

  • Exclusive Time2play bonus
  • VIP rewards program
  • Giveaways and challenges

10 payment methods

Bitcoin
Bitcoin Cash
Binance Coin
Dogecoin
Ethereum
Litecoin
Tether
Ripple
Tron
EOS
10
RealPrize review
87/100 Expert rating by Paul P. 84% Playscore based on 100,000 Gold Coins + 2 FREE Sweeps Coins
Play now

Good to know

  • Weekly themed promos
  • Seven exclusive games
  • 384-bit SSL with ECDSA

6 payment methods

Visa
MasterCard
Skrill
Bank Transfer
Apple Pay
Gift cards

Online poker — not legal yet

Just like online casinos, online poker is also strictly illegal. Also just like online casinos, trying to play online poker for real money in the Pelican State will land you with a fine at best, and jail time at worst. Our recommendation: don’t try it. 

What is worth trying though is good old sweepstakes poker. Here fake virtual currency is used, so no one is breaking any laws, and you’re not losing any real cash. Louisiana has a particularly excellent social poker site with Global Poker. Not only does this site have real-time games and a range of poker types to choose from, but it also has a diverse list of casinos and card games if you want a bit of variety. If it’s poker you’re looking for, this site is worth checking out. 

Other forms of gambling in Louisiana

With so many online options being illegal in Louisiana, we wouldn’t blame you if you lost hope in the state. However, we’re here to tell you that there are other options out there. What’s more, we’re going to show you what those options are.

If it’s sports you’re looking for, then Louisiana has you covered with its daily fantasy sports. Louisiana also has a history of horse race betting, with legal bets going as far back as 1997. The lottery and charitable gaming have also been legal in Louisiana for years, each with its colorful history. 

We go into detail on each one in the sections below:

daily-fantasy-sports-betting

Daily Fantasy Sports

This is the most modern of legal alternatives, having been legalized in 2018 with licenses issued in 2020. The aim of this is simple: draft a slate of players for a single day, or a single game, and compete against other players. DraftKings has a great selection for this, so you can bet on your fantasy sports alongside the rest of your sportsbook betting here.
louisiana-gambling-racetrack

Racetracks and Racinos

Horse racing is a large part of Louisiana history, with the Fair Grounds Race Course opening as far back as 1838. This track, as well as the 3 other horse tracks in Louisiana, are often referred to as ‘racinos’, due to them having several slot machines on the premises as well. Still, if it’s proper horse betting you’re after, Louisiana won’t leave you disappointed. There are plenty of horse race betting platforms in Louisiana, including TVG which
louisiana-gambling-state-lottery

Lottery

Louisiana lottery has had one hell of a history, coming full force in 1866 with tickets sold in almost every state, being banned in 1895, and brought back again almost 100 years later in 1993. For years corruption and scandal plagued the state lottery, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t enjoy it whilst it’s here. The Louisiana lottery offers three types of games: scratch-offs, Fast Play, and draw-style. All these are sold through roughly 2,900
casino-chips-raffle-tickets

Charitable gaming

Louisiana may be behind on online gambling, but it certainly did not lag here. Charitable gaming in The Pelican State has been around since 1968, helping to raise hundreds of thousands for charity since then. The Office of Charitable Gaming issues these licenses in Louisiana, allowing nonprofit organizations to offer bingo, keno, raffles, pull-tabs, and even casino nights for charity. So if you feel like gam

Offline gambling in Louisiana

Oddly enough, whilst online gambling is strictly illegal in Louisiana, offline gambling is plentiful. There are a ton of land-based options for gambling in Louisiana, including commercial casinos, tribal casinos, riverboats, and even racinos. 

By far the main type of offline casinos in Louisiana are riverboat casinos, presumably as some kind of practical joke played on us writers who need to write about ‘land-based casinos’. Plenty of riverboat casinos have set themselves up along the Mississippi and Red River, and some have set up premises ashore. All of them, as well as the tribal and commercial casinos, also offer live table games. 

This all bodes well for when online casinos finally become legal. When Louisiana decided to legalize online casino gambling, there’s going to be a flood of Louisiana games hitting the internet as all these land-based sites try to get a stake in the world wide web. In the meantime though, here’s a handy little table to help keep track of everything:  

RetailTypeLive table gamesLocationOnline sports
Harrah’s New OrleansLand-basedYes228 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70130Yes
Coushatta CasinoTribalYes777 Coushatta Drive, Kinder, LA 70648No
Cypress Bayou Casino HotelTribalYes832 Martin Luther King Road, Charenton, LA 70523No
Jena Choctaw Pines CasinoTribalYes149 Chahta Trails, Dry Prong, LA 71423No
Paragon Casino ResortTribalYes711 Paragon Place, Marksville, LA 71351No
Margaritaville Resort CasinoRiverboatYes777 Margaritaville Way, Bossier City, LA 71111No
Amelia Belle CasinoRiverboatYes500 Lake Palourde Road, Amelia, LA 70380No
Belle Baton Rouge Casino-HotelRiverboatYes102 France Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802Yes
Boomtown Casino Bossier CityRiverboatYes300 Riverside Drive, Bossier City, LA 71111No
Boomtown New OrleansRiverboatYes4132 Peters Road, Harvey, LA 70058No
Eldorado ShreveportRiverboatYes451 Clyde Fant Parkway, Shreveport, LANo
Golden Nugget Lake CharlesRiverboatYes2550 Golden Nugget Boulevard, Lake Charles, LA 70601No
Hollywood Casino Baton RougeRiverboatYes1717 River Road, North Baton Rouge, LA 70802No
Horseshoe Bossier CityRiverboatYes711 Horseshoe Boulevard, Bossier City, LA 71111Yes
Isle of Capri Casino Lake CharlesRiverboatYes100 Westlake Avenue, Westlake, LA, 70669Yes
L’Auberge Casino Lake CharlesRiverboatYes777 Ave L’Auberge, Lake Charles, LA 70601No
L’Auberge Casino Baton RougeRiverboatYes777 L’Auberge Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70820No
Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino ShreveportRiverboatYes315 Clyde Fant Pkwy, Shreveport, LA 71101No
Treasure Chest CasinoRiverboatYes5050 Williams Boulevard, Kenner, LA 70065No
Fair Grounds Race CourseRacinoNo1751 Gentilly Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70119No
Evangeline Downs Racetrack & CasinoRacinoNo2235 Creswell Lane Extension, Opelousas, LA 70570No
Delta DownsRacinoNo2717 Delta Downs Drive, Vinton, LA 70668No
Harrah’s Louisiana DownsRacinoNo8000 East Texas Street, Bossier City, LA 71111Yes

How to choose the best Louisiana online gambling sites

We want to show you how we rate all these sites, so you can see exactly how to choose the best Louisiana online gambling sites.

The Time2play methodology is not just about picking the sites with the highest score and calling it a day. First off, we make sure that any site we review has managed to obtain and keep a license from the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB). Any site without that license operating in the Pelican State is an instant red flag and goes straight to our backlist. 

If it passes that test, then we look at everything else, including the products available, the performance and integrity of the gambling mobile apps, whether there is live gambling with in-depth data, and much more. For a full list, check out our table below:

License

State license

All sites operating in Louisiana must be licensed by Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB). Without this license, the casino is operating illegally, and could very well be trying to steal your information. Not only that but if you’re caught playing on an unlicensed casino site, you’ll be slapped with a fine, if not jail time. If we don’t see this license, then it’s an instant fail for us. 

Products

Kind of pointless to have an online gambling site with no products. Since so much is still illegal in Louisiana, we cut them some slack on missing online slots and poker. However, the sports section needs to be impeccable, with us expecting to see upwards of 30+ sports available to bet on, which is why FanDuel sports betting, with 76 markets to bet on, and BetRivers online sportsbook, with a stellar 99 markets, both score very high with us.

Live gambling

Along with a wide variety of online sports betting, we also want to see live betting options for all these sports on these sites. We also want proper in-depth data, and some live streaming to go along with it. If sports is the only thing we can bet on, then these sites cannot afford to cut any corners here. BetMGM sportsbook is known for its superb live streaming and betting offerings, which is why it gets our top score.

Apps

Just because Louisiana has been slow to modernize its gambling, doesn’t mean these sites can be slow as well. In the 21st century, we expect all the sites to be available on mobile on all major providers. They should be smooth, easy to navigate, and have all the sports available that desktop has.

Payments

Casino payment methods are another important part of these sites, especially since gambling deals so much with the transfer of money. We want to see all of the major providers for money transactions allowed, along with fast deposit and withdrawal times, high limits, and no extra fees. Once again, BetMGM rules the roost with a whopping 14 payment options.

Platform

Finally, the platform itself should not be a mess. We want a nice, clean platform that’s intuitive and easy to navigate, and has all the necessary tools. These include a search bar, proper filtering, and tabs for all the essential information such as promotions. A decent FAQ and help section also goes a long way for us and helps push these sites to the top of the list, and this is why we recommend BetRivers.net social casino all the way. We love a user-friendly site!

Louisiana gambling and safety

At Time2Play, safety always comes first. We get that everyone is eager to gamble, but it’s important to make sure that the site you’re betting on promotes safe and responsible gambling. Otherwise, there could be some harsh consequences.

Whenever you go on an online gambling site in the state of Louisiana, always make sure that it has been licensed by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB). The LGCB is the supreme licenser in Louisiana and has been so since the 1990s, and has the first and final say on all gaming licenses in the state. 

These licensers have one job: to make sure that the gambling operators are safe and fair. If the security is not up to standard then the LGCB will refuse to hand out a license. Any site we recommend will have the LGCB license, however, if you’re curious to check out for yourself, then simply go to the header or footer of the online gambling site. There will usually be a bit of text showing that the site is licensed, as well as a few seals of trusts. 

The LGCB also operates through a few auditors, who do all the dirty work. The Louisiana State Police for instance perform all the audits themselves, whilst the Office of Charitable Gaming hands out permits for charitable gaming events. There’s also the Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling that you can check out if you feel you’re developing a problem, or the CORE centre operated by the Department of Health that specializes in recovering from problem gambling.

Louisiana gambling laws through time

Louisiana has had a pretty wild history when it comes to gambling. So much so, that the question ‘is online gambling legal in Louisiana’ still brings back mixed replies. Some things, such as charitable gaming, have been around for decades. Others like sports betting have only recently been introduced. Online casinos and poker never made it to the state, whilst the lottery has come, gone, and come again. 

It’s all been rather hectic, so we thought we’d put in a brief overview of gambling in Louisiana through the years, to help keep track of everything that went down in the Bayou State:

gambling-horse-betting-legalized-louisiana-gambling
1838

LA’s first horse race

The very first horse in Louisiana is held in this year, at the Fair Grounds Race Course. The Creole Race marks the beginning of horse race gambling in the state, and for the longest time, this was the only way to make a legal wager in Louisiana. 

bingo-legalized-online-gambling
1866

Louisana’s first lottery attempt

Louisiana was quick to try and start a state lottery, and by all accounts it was successful, being sold in almost every state after just 11 years. However not everyone was pleased, and there were numerous attempts to get the lottery banned amidst allegations of corruption and scandal. Reformers finally succeeded in 1895, shutting down the successful yet controversial lottery. 

sports-betting-legalized-in-maryland
1968

Charitable gaming begins

After many years of nothing but horse racing, the Louisiana Charitable Raffles, Bingo, and Keno Licensing Law was passed. This allowed charitable gaming into the state and was a move so popular that it has been going strong till this very day. 

nevada-gambling-state-grants-new-licenses
1993

Lotteries and casinos

After another large gap, Louisiana once again makes some big moves here. It re-established the lottery, this time managing to keep it going till today, albeit not controversy-free. It also legalized riverboat casinos and video poker machines, and soon after would also allow tribal and commercial casinos in. Undoubtedly the biggest year for gambling in Louisiana, these casinos have established a massive and permanent presence in the state. 

online-sports-betting-legalized-gambling
2022

Online sports betting begins

2022 finally saw the beginning of real online gambling for Louisiana, with online sports betting being legalized.  BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel sportsbooks all get going straight away, with even more coming right after. This move signals a new era for gambling in Louisiana, and will hopefully lead to the legalization of online casinos and online poker in the Pelican State.

Taxation and gambling in Louisiana: how the state benefits from gambling

As old Ben Franklin said himself, nothing in this world is constant except death and taxes. Even sportsbooks and casinos couldn’t escape the long reach of the tax collector. Perhaps though, this is a good thing. 

With the large amount of revenue that these institutions bring in, it’s not so bad that a percentage of it goes to the state. This money is then used to found several public projects, effectively putting the taxpayer’s money back to them in schools, hospitals, and parks. Unfortunately, it’s hard to track exactly how much money went where, but we can see how much these institutions are being taxed.

With casinos, it depends on whether it’s a tribal or riverboat casinos. Tribal casinos simply have to give annual donations of $7 million to parishes, however, riverboat casinos must hand 15% of their revenues to the state in tax. This number can go up to 17% and even 20% depending on how much revenue the riverboat casino made that month, so it’s not exactly a set deal.

Sportsbooks are thankfully a bit more concrete, with retail sportsbooks being taxed at 10% and mobile sportsbooks taxed at 15%. Hopefully, all this money coming in with incentivizing the state to legalize online casinos and poker, as well as bring in some nice public benefits for all you Louisiana citizens.

Statistics for gambling revenue and taxation in Louisiana

Latest updates 

As you saw in the history of Louisiana gambling above, things tend to move a bit slowly in the Pelican State. Still, there’s some hope, and occasionally a few important steps do occur. Here’s a list of some of the more notable events that have happened recently in Louisiana:

FAQs

Can I gamble online in Louisiana?

Yes and no. You can gamble online, but only in 55 out of Louisiana’s 64 parishes. On this page you will find our experts’ pick of the best legal Louisiana gambling sites

What is the gambling age in Louisiana?

The gambling age in Louisiana is 21, so anyone younger than that will simply have to wait. For more detailed information, check out our legal section

Are there any land-based sites in Louisiana?

There are plenty of land-based casinos in the Pelican State, though ironically most of them are riverboats. However, there’s also a good selection of tribal casinos, a commercial casino, and even 4 ‘racinos’ which have horse races and slot machines. For a full list, check out our section on land-based casinos

What are the best online gambling sites Louisiana has to offer?

Right now Louisiana only has online sportsbooks available, however, the selection there is quite good. You will find our top picks in the sports betting section.

Who regulates online gambling in Louisiana?

Online gambling is regulated in Louisiana by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB). They make sure that all gambling sites are up to go, both with safety and fairness. As long as you gamble on a site licensed by them, you know you’re safe. For more info, check the section on gambling regulators in the state. 

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