Louisiana is advancing House Bill 53, which classifies illegal gambling as racketeering. This comes after the bill cleared the Senate this past week. The bill now heads to Gov. Jeff Landry’s desk, where he can sign it into law or veto the measure.
Each unlicensed gambling operator would fall under racketeering charges with this bill, including sweepstakes casinos. The bill would impose potential penalties of up to 50 years in prison and/or a $1 million fine, so it’s a much more serious charge than your typical sweepstakes casino ban. If the racketeering exceeded $10,000, it would result in a five-year prison sentence.
With House Bill 53 passing through the House by an 86-11 vote, there’s clear momentum to make these changes. All that’s left is for Gov. Landry to sign it into law, but we’ve seen an example where he decided against that.
Last year, Gov. Landry vetoed Senate Bill 181, which aimed to ban sweepstakes casinos. Gov. Landry argued that the Louisiana Gaming Control Board had enough authority to prevent illegal gambling activity, so additional legislation wasn’t necessary.
That raises the question of whether Gov. Landry will veto House Bill 53, since it wouldn’t be the first time. However, given that there’s been bipartisan support, it’s unlikely that Gov. Landry will veto additional legislation.
It’s also worth noting that there is another anti-sweeps bill that is advancing in Louisiana, with House Bill 883 passing unanimously back in April with a 99-0 vote. With two bills moving forward, it decreases the likelihood of another veto from Gov. Landry.
Louisiana already has a fully regulated sports betting market, with both retail sportsbooks and mobile apps available in approved parishes under the oversight of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. That means the state is already collecting tax revenue from licensed operators and maintaining consumer protections within a legal framework.
What House Bill 53 does is strengthen that existing system by going after offshore competition. Offshore sportsbooks and sweepstakes casinos operate without licenses, meaning they don’t pay state taxes and aren’t required to adhere to state compliance standards.
By classifying illegal gambling as racketeering, Louisiana is taking a much tougher enforcement stance. The higher penalties, especially the threat of long prison sentences and major fines, are designed to deter unlicensed operators from targeting players in the state.
To that end, this bill can help keep sports betting within Louisiana, helping with tax revenue for the state.
While House Bill 53 focuses on cracking down on illegal operators, it doesn’t introduce or legalize any form of online casino gaming in Louisiana. That means players in the state will still not have access to regulated iGaming platforms like online slots or table games.
As it stands, Louisiana’s legal casino gambling framework is limited to retail casinos. There is no legal pathway for iGaming. For players who want a fully legal online casino experience, the only option is to travel to another state where iGaming is authorized, such as New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
Those states offer regulated online casinos with consumer protections and licensed operators. Until Louisiana lawmakers choose to legalize iGaming, residents will remain limited to in-person casino gaming or out-of-state online options.
