Louisiana Gaming Board Chairman Ronnie Johns said retail sportsbooks should begin accepting wagers by the start of October after the state’s rollout was delayed by Hurricane Ida.
State police troopers who were charged with reviewing sports betting applications were reassigned to hurricane recovery efforts, which moved back the launch date.
“When Hurricane Ida hit our state, all of the troopers assigned to the Gaming Division were deployed to hurricane recovery efforts,” Johns said, according to WAFB. “We lost approximately 10-14 days of licensing work during that period. The State Police Gaming Division is now back at full capacity and is continuing the licensing process for the applicants. They are committed to getting this process done as quickly as possible while doing it in a compliant and legal way.”
Mobile sports betting will take longer to launch because the state hasn’t licensed outside vendors yet, Johns told USA Today.
“We’re hoping to have some of those approved in a 60-day window,” he said.
Louisiana’s 20 casinos and racetracks are expected to the first locations approved to accept sports wagers next month.
Louisiana will eventually add sports betting kiosks to bars and restaurants sometime in 2022.
Residents in 55 of 64 parishes approved a sports betting bill in November 2020. Sports betting will be geofenced among parishes where the activity is legal.
Louisiana will tax in-person sports bets at 10% and online at 18%.
