- Louisiana has licensed four retail locations to open sportsbooks.
- Retail sportsbooks are launching well before online sportsbooks.
- Several online sportsbook apps are available, but only to claim promos, not to place wagers.
BATON ROUGE, La. - Four retail sports betting licenses have been granted in Louisiana, but online sports betting will likely have to wait.
Harrah’s in New Orleans, Boomtown Casino & Hotel, L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge, and Horseshoe Bossier City Hotel & Casino all received licenses to offer sports betting.
Online sportsbook apps are available for several major online casinos, but the only thing bettors can do on them is download, sign up, and wait. However, many of these apps are offering special promotions for those who sign up during the period before online sports betting is officially licensed.
“Louisiana and the entire Gulf Coast region are a special part of the Caesars family. We couldn’t be more excited to build on our longstanding commitments in the state with the launch of legal sports betting,” said Eric Hession, Co-President of Caesars Digital. “We know how passionate Bayou State sports fans are about their teams and we’re confident our brand-new Caesars Sportsbook app and the exciting offers we have for launch can offer them a sports experience that can’t be matched.”
Bettors who download the app before sports betting is officially launched are eligible for a $100 betting bonus on the first day of launch as long as they are registered.
DraftKings and FanDuel are other sportsbooks that are expecting to be up and running in Louisiana at some point, and they are offering similar deals. DraftKings is offering a $100 free bet, while FanDuel is offering a $100 site credit to those who sign up early.
What Is Louisiana's Online Sports Betting Launch Date?
However, it is unclear when the online gambling launch date will actually be - Ronnie Johns, Chairman of Louisiana’s Gaming Control Board, was evasive when asked.
“I’m not going to give you a definitive date of when we’re going to issue licenses but it’s going to be soon. So uh, maybe before LSU gets a new head coach I don’t know,” said Johns.
The plan for LSU is to part ways with Ed Orgeron at the end of the year, so the fact that Johns is referencing that is not a great sign.
Louisiana’s plan for sports betting involves the majority of parishes in the state, but not all of them, so bettors in the few parishes that have not approved sports betting will want to visit ones that have in order to claim this promo.