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Louisiana Citizens Could Soon Vote to Regulate Online Poker

Louisiana citizens may get the chance to decide whether or not to allow online gambling in their state. According to an article written by Steve Ruddock of Online Poker Report, the Louisiana Senate has filed a bill that will legalize and regulate online gambling in the state pending a public referendum.

The measure, if agreed to by the citizens of Louisiana, would regulate online gambling and games would begin in 2020.

Citizens to Decide Whether to Authorize Online Gambling

Sen. Daniel Martiny introduced S 322 on Friday, a measure that intends to regulate online gambling in the state. Presently, the bill is only four pages and lacks real details regarding licensing, fees and taxes.

What we do know at this time is that licenses will only be available to riverboat casinos and land-based casinos that have already been licensed by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. Players would need to be physically located in Louisiana and at least 21 years of age.

Louisiana law requires that new form of gambling must pass a referendum vote of its citizens. If the bill moves forward, a referendum would be launched and each parish would then vote. Voters would vote a simple yes or no whether to allow internet gaming in their parish.

This type of vote will clear any doubt whether the state truly favors online gambling Note that this measure would not just regulate online poker but other forms of online casino gambling.

This bill will not address Daily Fantasy Sports or sports betting as there is a separate bill addressing those.

How Soon Will Online Gaming Start if Passed?

If you’re in Louisiana, don’t expect this to be a fast process. Should the measure go to referendum, the vote will not be held until November.

Should the measure pass, the bill would not take effect until January 1, 2020. That would give the LGCB a year to get sites licensed and providers to get their software ready. Afterward, final testing must be conducted, meaning that a full launch is likely to happen in the Spring or even Summer of 2020.

What Are the Odds of This Measure Passing?

The good news about this bill is that Louisiana is a state that already has some type of gambling in place, meaning that there will be those ready to say yes to online gaming.

However, with the bill in such a raw state, it’s hard to gauge whether lawmakers are really serious about regulating iGaming this year or if this is just a “starter” measure to try and build momentum.

Should the bill happen to push through to referendum, we think that the odds are good that citizens pass this measure, meaning that Louisiana could soon be joining Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada in the regulated online poker market.

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