Louisiana moves one step closer to legal sports betting

The Louisiana Senate has approved a bill that would pave the way for legal sports betting in the Bayou State.

SB 153 passed with a 24-15 vote this week and now heads to the House of Representatives.

If the lower chamber carries it through, Senator Danny Martiny’s bill will give Louisiana residents the opportunity to vote on the matter.

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A positive result will open the door for the state’s four racetracks and 16 casinos – 15 of which are riverboat casinos – to apply for sports betting licences.

The proposal does not include a framework for full-scale mobile gambling, but it does feature an amendment that would allow punters to place bets online when frequenting land-based wagering operators.

That model closely resembles the mobile betting laws of Mississippi – thus far the only state in the Deep South to legalise gambling on sport.

As Louisiana’s legislative session does not close until June 6, there is a chance the House will vote on the bill within the next few weeks.

The Pelican State is one of several that is on the verge of joining the US sports betting revolution.

The Tennessee Senate passed a pro-gambling bill earlier this week, while Indiana and Maine have also taken big strides towards legalisation.

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