Louisiana Adopts Emergency Sports Betting Rules Starting Monday

• Thursday, the LA Gaming Control Board Adopted Emergency Sports Betting Rules
• Emergency Rules Last 180 Days, Giving LGCB Time to Create Permanent Rules
• Now Louisiana Sports Betting Can Launch in Time for Upcoming NFL Season

Thursday, the LA Gaming Control Board Adopted Emergency Sports Betting Rules

On Thursday, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) adopted a set of emergency sports betting rules that go into effect Monday giving the state a solid chance to launch its legal sports gambling operation in time to take advantage of the upcoming NFL season.

Last month, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards finally named Ronnie Johns the LGCB Chairman (see our prior coverage Ronnie Johns Named Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman) and since then Johns has been pushing towards a speedy start to legal sports betting in the Bayou State.

In response to these temporary rules now in place, Johns told the press:

This is incredible. This is a lot of hard work that went into putting this together and very comprehensive. I don’t think any of us had an inkling we’d be adopting these this quickly. This has been the No. 1 question asked of me: When is sports betting coming?

This temporary set of rules allows the state to get started on the complex betting licensing process, a scenario that the 20 land-based and riverboat casinos in Louisiana have been eagerly anticipating.

Emergency Rules Last 180 Days, Giving LGCB Time to Create Permanent Rules

This new set of rules is just a temporary 180 day fix that gives the LGCB a head start at creating a more permanent set of guidelines, although these emergency rules can be extended for an extra 180 days if needed.

These rules outline what is required of the sportsbooks operators who will apply for a Louisiana sports betting license, giving interested parties like Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, and DraftKings a clearer pathway to the Creole State’s lucrative sports gambling market.

According to the law, once licensed, the state’s riverboats and land-based casinos will be able to operate up to two skins for mobile sports betting, with the Louisiana Lottery also in the mix ready to open betting kiosks in area bars and restaurants.

The goal is to have this operational in time to take advantage of the 2021/ 2022 NFL season which starts September 9.

Now Louisiana Sports Betting Can Launch in Time for Upcoming NFL Season

Louisiana is the home of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and many college-level teams, so eager bettors in the Sportsman’s Paradise are counting on the LGCB to use these emergency rules to get its sports betting act together in time for the September start to the football season.

Representative John Stefanski, one of the state bill’s original sponsors, has explained why approving these temporary rules was an important step for the operators who plan to apply for a Louisiana sports betting license.

We gave the gaming control board the ability to give provisional licenses, so even if they don’t have a physical sportsbook built, they can go live with a mobile application.

With the amount of potential revenue Louisiana stands to generate through sports betting – industry experts predict $2.5 billion in bets, with operators expected to earn over $200 million – the LGCB’s ‘sooner rather than later’ approach is understandable.

Check back for further updates on Louisiana’s exciting race to get this business started.