Louisiana Sends Sports Betting to the Polls This November

As the general election draws closer, residents in Louisiana won’t just be voting on political positions as they will also be able to weigh in on legalized sports betting within the state.

Voters will get to decide whether any or all of the parishes should allow sports betting. This means there could be areas of Louisiana that proceed with legalized sports betting, while others choose to not take part. If all goes well at the polls, sports betting would most likely be live by the 2021 NFL season.

Specifying How Voters Can Affect Sports Betting

While many residents might be getting excited at the prospect of legalizing sports betting in the state, they may want to pump the brakes. The only thing that this ballot will accomplish is to make the decision as to whether or not to move on to the next step in this long legal process.

As of now, there have been no regulations or rules put in place by lawmakers. That means there is still a lot of details to decide, debates to be had, and stressful attempts to create agreements in the coming months and year.

And here’s another snag, creating a new tax mechanism such as the one needed for legalized sports betting, can only happen during odd-number years by lawmakers. This means it all needs to be done in 2021.

Agreement May Not Be So Simple to Come By

When looking at how state leaders have handled the topic of sports betting the last few years, there’s really been nothing to show for it other than increased debates.

There have been a handful of lawmakers that have voted against sports betting in the past citing “problems associated with gambling” as their reasoning. While this was a prominent stance of opposition a few years ago, there is a chance that they may still vote the same way.

Then there is the other side of the argument that says sports betting is already happening under the table, so why not at least bring it out in the open and enjoy the tax revenue that can be put back into the state.

Unfortunately, sports betting tax revenue hasn’t been the cash cow that some states have been hoping for. Look no further than Mississippi who net just $8 million dollars over the course of two years.

While this isn’t exactly huge revenue, compared to other states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania, at the same time legalizing sports betting has managed to boost interest in the casinos as it gave them new life.

In terms of how much Louisiana could bring in with sports betting, the Louisiana Wins group pegs tax revenue of about $300 million dollars. That’s certainly no small number. That money could be used to help the state’s education system among other pressing issues according to the group.

It was just back in 2018 that 47 of the 64 parishes in Louisiana voted in favor of daily fantasy betting, which shows there is indeed an interest in betting, but not a unified position.

This November will definitely be interesting for the gaming industry in Louisiana. Voters will show just how much interest there really is with sports betting in the state and whether or not all of the parishes will legalize it.