Sports bettors in Louisiana who were optimistic that the state would soon legalize sports betting may have to reconsider their hopes.
Senator Danny Martiny’s SB153 that was supposed to pave the way for sports betting in the state just got stopped by the state’s House Appropriations Committee. This is unfortunate since the bill had a solid core but had to go through so many amendments that it did not get the momentum it needed.
The sudden halt towards the bill’s progress does come as a bit of a surprise. At the beginning of May, the bill was making slow but steady progress in the Louisiana legislature.
The states Senate liked the bill well enough to give its approval for sports betting on various sports competitions that were in the professional, college and international level. Legalized sports bets would have been accepted in the state’s 16 casinos and four racetracks.
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The problem is that the House has taken the basic bill and chopped it up in various ways to add multiple amendments. Instead of making things clear and simple, the bill’s amendments are causing confusion to those who want to implement the bill.
Senator Martiny first introduced the bill because he was of the opinion that Louisiana residents were already indulging themselves in sports betting. They either did it online via offshore sites or went to neighbouring Mississippi which legalized sports betting last year. The bill that Senator Danny Martiny proposed was aimed at raising revenue as well as protecting the state’s sports bettors.
However, progress with this bill has stalled as the House Appropriations Committee voted to reject the bill with a 14-6 vote. Senator Martiny said that the reason for the defeat was the many amendments that bogged down the bill and ensured that it would have no chance of approval if it ever faced a house vote.
According to Senator Martiny, Louisiana could potentially get up to $60 million in tax revenue every year with legalized sports betting. However, opponents of the bill have pointed to the trouble that expanded gambling options could cause while also worsening gambling addiction problems.
Senator Martiny’s bill does not technically legalize sports betting though. It is just a suggestion of how sports betting could be run while leaving the decision to the citizens for legalization. As part of the bill, the state’s parishes get to add a ballot option for the coming October election on whether sports betting should be allowed. However, with this delay, the legalization of sports betting in the state will have to wait another year.
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