Louisiana is on course to make operating a dual-currency sweepstakes casino and other illegal gambling products a racketeering offense punishable by up to 50 years’ imprisonment after the state legislature approved new legislation.
Rep. Bryan Fontenot’s House Bill 53 was approved in the state House by an 86-11 vote on March 30 and by the Senate via a 27-9 vote on April 27. As it was passed without amendments, it was quickly enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House on April 29 and signed by the President of the Senate on May 4.
The legislation will be sent to Gov. Jeff Landry to either sign it or veto it.
Louisiana approves up to 50 years in prison for illegal gambling
HB 53 would amend state law to designate various existing gambling crimes as predicate offenses considered racketeering activity under the Louisiana Racketeering Act, including:
- Gambling in public
- Gambling by computer
- Gambling by electronic sweepstakes device
- Unlawful wagering by a prohibited player
- Bribery of sports participants
If found guilty, violators would be on the hook to pay a fine of up to $1m and could be imprisoned at hard labor for up to 50 years, or both. Those punishments are far harsher than most illegal gambling penalties tend to be across the U.S. If the racketeering violation exceeded a value of $10,000, offenders would have to serve five years of any prison sentence without the chance of probation, parole, or suspension of their sentence.
Gov. Landry vetoed sweeps ban last year
Louisiana’s legislature passed a less extreme ban on sweepstakes gaming last year, but Landry rejected the bill when it reached his desk. The governor’s rationale was that the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) already possessed the regulatory authority, along with state police and the Attorney General’s Office, to shut down unauthorized gambling “to the extent possible”.
“As such, this bill is a solution in search of a problem that is already being solved by our current system, and some of the language in this bill is overly broad and could be interpreted in an adverse manner which may harm or impede our current enforcement actions taken against these bad actors,” wrote Landry in his June 2025 veto statement.
Shortly after Landry vetoed Senate Bill 181, the LGCB confirmed it had sent a round of cease-and-desist orders to various operators of sweepstakes sites and offshore gambling platforms.
However, Louisiana Chief Deputy AG Larry Frieman supported HB 53 and its racketeering measures during committee hearings, arguing that a harder stance on illegal gambling of various forms is needed in the state. Whether that support will convince Landry to sign HB 53 remains to be seen.
Louisiana’s other anti-sweeps bill keeps moving
Meanwhile, another House-approved bill, House Bill 883, would target online sweepstakes gaming. That legislation passed the House unanimously by a 99-0 vote on April 14 and was reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Judiciary B on April 28.
Rep. Laurie Schlegel’s legislation doesn’t propose anything as drastic as classing illegal gambling as a racketeering offense, but would add dual-currency offerings that simulate gambling to the state’s definition of illegal gambling.
That bill targets not only operators of sweeps-style games but also platform providers, gaming, content suppliers, geolocation providers, promoters, media affiliates, and “any other person who knowingly supports or facilitates” these platforms. Under the terms of the bill, violators could be fined up to $40,000 and/or imprisoned for up to five years. Every online wager accepted would be deemed a separate violation.
That bill would empower AG Liz Murrill’s office to seek temporary or permanent injunctions.
HB 883 now lies with the Senate Legislative Bureau, which approved HB 53 on April 20.
