Metairie Senator Cameron Henry said the vote to legalize sports betting in 55 of the state’s 64 parishes on Election Night paves the way for sports bets to be placed in Louisiana by the end of next year.
Henry indicated sports betting may not end up being as restricted as was once thought.
“Do I think it can only be restricted to casinos and racetracks? No, because we don’t have 55 casinos and racetracks in Louisiana, so it is going to have to branch out to some restaurants, some bars, video poker, off-track betting, however everybody wants to do it,” said Henry
Henry said a big point of contention in the upcoming April regular session, the session that will shape sports betting, will be how virtual the activity can be.
“Whether members want it to take 100 percent online which means you can do it from your sofa or members don’t want to start it off that fast, saying you have to be inside of an establishment,” said Henry.
Henry said the nine parishes that did not OK sports wagering will likely not be able to take advantage of any revenue the state collects from the activity.
“I think it would be a hard sell for a parish that decided they don’t want to have sports wagering, but oh we want to reap the benefits of everyone else having sports wagering, I think that is a tough sell at this point,” said Henry.
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