Louisiana senator calls on lawmakers to move on sports betting

Louisiana state Senator Danny Martiny is trying to rally his colleagues in the state Legislature to move faster on the legalisation of sports betting, warning them that neighbouring states like Mississippi have already established a foothold and are in operation.

“It’s not so much how much money the industry and state would gain (through additional taxes), but how much we’re going to lose,” Martiny opined to local media reporters this week, warning that Arkansas may approve legal sports wagering in its racetracks, while Oklahoma’s Indian tribes may also allow sports betting in their facilities.

When this happens, the senator said the New Orleans market will take the full brunt of these competitive developments.

Our readers will recall that earlier this year, proponents were optimistic about the future of Louisiana’s gambling market after state lawmakers introduced several gambling bills aiming to legalise sports betting, online gambling, and daily fantasy sports and to rewrite the state’s antiquated casino law.

Martiny introduced SB 266, which would have allowed sports betting at the state-regulated Harrah’s casinos in New Orleans, as well as in 15 riverboat casinos around the state, but his bill did not make it through the Senate Finance Committee.

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