When a person from outside the US thinks of Louisiana, they immediately think of Mardi Gras, jazz and crawfish gumbo. However, if Bill S322 is passed, the Bayou State could become famous for a new reason - legal online gambling.
Having seen the massive benefits that states such as Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware have enjoyed thanks legalized online gambling, Louisiana, New York, New Hampshire, Michigan, Pennsylvania are on course to do the same.
Recently floated by Sen. Daniel Martiny, it is a bill that will legalize online gambling in Louisiana. The bill, at 4 pages, is still in its infancy and still requires a lot of work and effort before it is complete. Bill S322 follows on the heels of similar bills calling for the legalization of both Daily Fantasy Sports and Sports Betting respectively. At the moment Louisiana is 1 of 5 states where online sports betting is still not permitted.
Bill S322 defines online gambling (aka Internet Gaming) as:
“Internet gaming” shall mean any variation or composite of an authorized game that is offered through the internet, provided that such games, or variations or composites, are found suitable for use by the board and any other game which is determined to be suitable by the board. The term includes gaming tournaments conducted via the internet in which players compete against one another in one or more games authorized by the board or in approved variations or composites thereof if the tournament is authorized by the board.”
The bill also states:
Unlike the process currently underway in Pennsylvania, Louisiana will let voters rather than lawmakers decide on whether or not legal online casinos in LA will become a reality. Bill S322, as well as those related to Sports Betting and Daily Fantasy Sports, will be put to a parish-by-parish voter referendum.
Each voter will be asked:
“Shall internet gaming be allowed to be conducted within the parish of ______?”
By all indications, it seems that 2020 is realistically the soonest we can expect to see residents enjoying online gambling in Louisiana is 2020 as Bill S322 states:
“Section 2 of this Act shall become effective on January 1, 2020.”
2020 may sound far away but when you consider that the earliest we can expect the referendum to take place is November of this year.This leaves just over a year for all the legal online casinos in LA to get their ducks in a row.
It’s still quite early in the process, but we are confident that the referendum is nothing more than a formality and that Louisiana will soon have a flourishing online gambling industry. Watch this space for the latest on the process in LA, and other states where online gambling is on the cards.
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