Louisiana lawmakers are considering a piece of legislation that imposes a significant penalty for operating electronic sweepstakes devices and bribing athletes.
Rep. Bryan Fontenot has introduced House Bill 53, a piece of legislation that would add certain gambling crimes to the definition of “racketeering activity,” including gambling via electronic sweepstake device, gambling by computer and gambling in public. It would also make “unlawful wager; prohibited player” and bribing athletes and other sports participants a racketeering offense, amid the betting scandals that continue to emerge in U.S. college and pro sports.
The measure has been referred to the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice for further consideration.
Potential penalties for racketeering activity in Louisiana
Fontenot’s measure defines racketeering activity as “committing, attempting to commit, conspiring to commit, or soliciting, coercing or intimidating another person to commit any crime that is punishable under the following provisions of Title 14 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law, or the Louisiana Securities Law.”
Louisiana law imposes severe penalties for racketeering activity, with violators subject to fines of up to $1 million and prison sentences that can reach up to 50 years. Any person who violates the law is also subject to up to 50 years of hard labor.
The state’s law also calls for a mandatory five-year prison sentence without the possibility of parole, a suspended sentence or probation if the racketeering activity exceeds $10,000.
Louisiana regulator takes action against sweeps
The piece of legislation would impose a harsh penalty for sweepstakes-style gaming after the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) issued a series of cease-and-desist orders to online sweepstakes casino operators accepting customers in the state.
The regulator sent the orders after Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed a bill that proposed a formal ban on offshore and sweepstakes casino sites. Landry found the bill to be unnecessary as the LGCB already had the authority to order sweepstakes casino sites to exit Louisiana.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill also wants to take action against online sweepstakes casinos. Murrill issued a legal opinion in July 2025 on online sweepstakes casinos that considers dual-currency platforms a violation of state law. Murrill published her legal opinion following a request from Sen. Rick Edmonds for an opinion on the vertical after Landry vetoed the piece of legislation that aimed to ban casino-style sweepstakes.
HB 53’s penalties compared to official sweeps bans
Louisiana’s racketeering bill takes a different approach than other states that have criminalized casino-style online sweepstakes gaming.
In 2025, nearly 10 states passed bills that explicitly or implicitly ban those games. Most recently, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a sweepstakes ban in December that subjects violators to fines that range between $10,000 and $100,000 for each violation. The measure also imposes a potential penalty of license revocation.
The online sweepstakes casino ban in Connecticut, signed by Gov. Ned Lamont last June, subjects an offender to the state’s penalty for professional gambling for unfair or deceptive trade practices, and considers professional gambling a Class A misdemeanor. In New Jersey, the operation of dual-currency sweepstakes games carries a fine of up to $25,000 for each violation, with operators also subject to the return of illicit funds.
Montana, the first state to explicitly prohibit the operation of online sweepstakes casinos, can charge violators of its ban with a felony and a possible prison sentence of up to 10 years. California’s sweepstakes ban imposes a monetary penalty of between $1,000 and $25,000 and a potential jail sentence of up to one year. In Nevada, the state’s ban on unlicensed operators calls for violators to be charged with a felony. Nevada can impose a maximum 10-year prison sentence and a fine that can reach up to $50,000.
