Louisiana sports betting is entering a new era of enforcement this summer. A sweeping law that classifies illegal gambling operations as racketeering will officially take effect on August 1, 2026, giving state prosecutors far more power to pursue offshore sportsbooks and sweepstakes casinos operating outside the law.
What the New Law Does
House Bill 53, signed by Governor Jeff Landry on May 11, amends the Louisiana Racketeering Act to include a range of gambling-related offenses as predicate crimes. That means operators running unlicensed sweepstakes casinos, offering computer-assisted wagering, or facilitating illegal public gambling can now be prosecuted as part of a criminal enterprise rather than facing isolated gambling charges.
The penalties are severe. A conviction under the new law can result in up to 50 years of hard labor and fines of up to $1 million. If the value of the illegal activity exceeds $10,000, a mandatory minimum sentence of five years applies, with no chance of parole, probation, or suspension.
A companion measure, House Bill 883, was signed just days later on May 15. That bill takes direct aim at mobile and online dual currency sweepstakes games designed to mimic slot machines and digital poker. It also gives Attorney General Liz Murrill's office the authority to seek injunctions against violators, with fines of up to $40,000 and prison terms of up to 5 years for anyone who knowingly supports or facilitates these platforms, including content providers and geolocation services.
The Long Road to Landry's Desk
The path to this law was not straightforward. In June 2025, Landry vetoed an earlier bill aimed at banning sweepstakes gambling outright. In his veto message, he called the measure "a solution in search of a problem," arguing that the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, state police, and the Attorney General's Office already had the authority needed to shut down illegal operators.
That veto did not slow enforcement efforts. Shortly afterward, the Gaming Control Board sent more than 40 cease-and-desist letters to sweepstakes and offshore gambling operators. In July 2025, Murrill issued a formal legal opinion concluding that dual currency sweepstakes casinos were operating as illegal gambling businesses under state law. The pressure worked. More than 40 major sweepstakes brands either exited Louisiana entirely or converted to non-cash, entertainment-only formats.
Lawmakers pushed forward anyway. Representative Bryan Fontenot introduced HB 53 in January, and it cleared the House by an 86-11 vote on March 30 before passing the Senate 27-9 on April 27. This time, Chief Deputy Attorney General Larry Frieman testified in support of the bill, arguing the state needed stronger enforcement tools. That support appears to have made the difference with Landry, who signed both HB 53 and HB 883 into law rather than vetoing them again.
What It Means Going Forward
For the state's licensed operators and Louisiana sports betting apps , the new law reinforces the legal framework they already operate within while ratcheting up pressure on unregulated competitors. As August 1 approaches, illegal gambling operators still active in Louisiana face a dramatically higher legal risk than they did just one year ago.
