Key points:
- The tax rate would increase from 15% to 51%, according to the terms of the bill
- Lawmakers are unlikely to revisit House Bill 22 before the special session ends November 25
A lawmaker in Louisiana has deferred a bill that would raise the online sports betting sales tax during a recent hearing with the House Ways and Means Committee, according to a local news report from the Louisiana Illuminator.
The proposal would increase the tax percentage from online sports wagering from 15% to 51%. The bill was drafted to “help offset the loss of revenue from flattening the state income tax.”
State Representative Roger Wilder authored House Bill 22, which is part of Governor Jeff Landry’s tax code overall package.
An analysis of House Bill 22 by the Legislative Fiscal Officer found that the proposal could increase state revenue by $151m.
Wilder told local news that he would “continue to work on the proposal.” However, the current special session is scheduled to end November 25, which means addressing the bill again before the session ends could be unlikely, the local report said.
“I have some learning to do,” Wilder told local news. “I look forward to hearing the testimony from the industry, to gain a deeper insight of what the industry has with respect to their needs and their concerns on this issue.”
The state of Louisiana recently implemented a statewide ban on prop betting on college athletes through licensed sportsbooks. The state said that the ban was issued “for the safety and integrity of athletes.”
However, players can still wager on totals, point spreads and game outcomes. Prop bets that involve “full team statistical outcomes” will remain legal in Louisiana after August.
Prop bets involve wagers on how many rebounds or points a basketball player could have or the number of touchdowns or yards that football players might have. With prop bets, players bet on these game aspects “instead of or in conjunction with a game’s outcome or spread.”
