As Louisiana inches closer towards implementing state-licensed sports betting, gaming licensees are still entertaining partnerships with commercial brands. Among these licensees in Harrah’s Louisiana Downs Casino.
Harrah’s To Service WynnBet in Louisiana
Owned by Caesars Entertainment, Harrah’s will now be hosting sportsbook services from WynnBet. However, it is unlikely that patrons will see the WynnBet logo plastered inside Harrah’s casino as the parent company has its own sportsbook.
This partnership will more so serve as an avenue for WynnBet to legally host online and mobile gaming servers in Louisiana. Because of the deal, WynnBet now has 17 US states under its belt and will surely try to secure more.
Louisiana has a total number of major 20 casinos, operating out of various riverboats and land-based facilities. The state plans on issuing up to 41 sportsbook licenses, which means that each of the state’s casinos may partner with up to 2 additional sportsbooks.
This clause in the state’s new gambling legislation allows a wide variety of options to hit the market when sports betting goes live sometime in October.
LA Sports Betting Launch Still Unknown
It makes for some much-needed good news as the state continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Ida. Louisiana residents were previously expecting legal sports betting to launch in late September, then October 1st.
However, the kick-off has been pushed back again as a result of the storm. Gaming officials have yet to announce an official date for sports betting to kick-off but expect to need about two more weeks to issue the first round of sportsbook licenses.
Louisiana’s governor called Hurricane Ida, “one of the strongest storms to make landfall here in recent times…” With a storm whose damage is comparable to that of Hurricane Katrina, it makes sense that such delays would come about.
Nonetheless, the state has been unable to provide residents with a straight answer on when they can start betting with state-licensed sportsbooks. That being said, Louisiana sports bettors can expect a slow rollout when it comes to sports betting in their state.
Louisiana sports betting will first open through the state’s prospective retail locations. While licensees have not been confirmed, eight of the 20 major Louisiana casinos have already submitted applications and are expected to be cleared.
How to Bet in Louisiana Now
In the meantime, Louisiana can still place legal sports bets and play online casino games through offshore sites. Many of these sites offer casino games such as 18+ online slots or poker.
The best part about these sites is that they adhere to the same security standards as state-licensed sportsbooks but are not subject to the fudgy timelines of US gaming officials.
You can access these sites at any time of the day from almost anywhere without having to worry about crashing or any other technical issues.
Source: Saturday Down South