Online sports betting in Louisiana is officially live as sportsbooks were able to begin accepting wagers on Friday morning. Louisiana had been working towards this moment for a few months, and retail
wagering has been available since October 31.
There were some major sports betting operators among the group that was ready to launch on Friday morning. BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel were all able to launch on Friday morning, and other big-name operators are still on the way as well.
Launching in time for the Super Bowl was always the biggest goal for the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, but this process was able to be expedited by two weeks. The two conference championships in the NFL are expected to draw plenty of interest, especially the former LSU stars playing in the AFC Championship Game.
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board made statements on Friday, announcing that there were no issues reported with the launch of online betting. The Louisiana State Police also played a role in this process as that group looked into each operator before a license was issued.
Plenty of Betting Options
One advantage that sportsbooks in Louisiana are going to have over some other states is that the state is allowing them to offer betting on over 30 different events. Football and college basketball are expected to be the major focus at the beginning, but there will be plenty of bets that bettors can make.
Most states don’t allow sportsbooks to offer wagering on awards shows, but that is not the case in Louisiana. Unique events can also be offered, including the famous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Huge Promotions Highlight Launch
As expected, sportsbooks in Louisiana were offering massive promotions to kick off the betting action this weekend. BetMGM is expected to be one of the leaders in Louisiana, and it has a nice welcome
bonus for the NFL action this weekend.
A $10 bet on any NFL action will result in $200 of free bets as long as there is at least one NFL touchdown scored this week. BetRivers is awarding new customers a $250 risk-free bet on opening weekend to help celebrate its online sports betting launch.
DraftKings and FanDuel are also expected to dominate the online market, and each has a long list of welcome offers available.
No Statewide Mobile Wagering
Only 55 of the 64 parishes in Louisiana officially approved legal online wagering, and that means that sportsbooks won’t work everywhere in the state. Figuring out how to regulate the geofencing was a major reason for the delay, but it appears that things went off without a hitch.
Louisiana sportsbooks are expected to see plenty of action from residents of other states, especially from Texas. Louisiana is the only state in the region that has legal online betting options, and that should entice bettors to cross the state border in order to place some wagers.
Lawmakers in Louisiana had some lofty expectations and projections for online sports betting, and launching just before the NFL conference championship games will allow the state to get off to a big start.
