Louisiana Prefiles Sweeping Gambling Bills: Sweepstakes Bans, Prop Bet Prohibitions, and iLottery Push

Louisiana's 2026 legislative session sees prefiled bills to ban sports prop bets, criminalize sweepstakes casinos, and authorize iLottery sales.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 3, 2026, 10:22 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Gambling Insider

Targeting the Dual-Currency Sweepstakes Model

House Bill 883 represents a significant escalation in Louisiana's war on unregulated online gaming. The bill specifically targets the "dual-currency" model used by sweepstakes platforms, which allows players to exchange virtual currency for cash prizes. HB 883 would tighten the state's "gambling by computer" statutes, expanding liability beyond the operators to include technical platform providers and financial processors. If passed, the bill would quintuple the maximum fine for violations, raising it from $20,000 to $100,000, while preserving the possibility of a five-year prison term. This follows a 2025 veto of a similar measure by Governor Jeff Landry, though state regulators have already moved to push these operators out through cease-and-desist orders.

A Bold Move to Ban Prop and Micro-Bets

One of the most controversial proposals for the 2026 session is Senate Bill 354, which aims to strip "proposition bets" and "micro-bets" from the state's legalized sports wagering framework. Prop bets, which allow wagering on individual player performances or specific in-game events, have become massive revenue drivers for sportsbooks. SB 354 seeks to explicitly prohibit these markets, including "micro-bets" placed on live outcomes of specific plays or actions. Lawmakers cite growing concerns over sports integrity and the potential for athlete manipulation as the primary motivation. If enacted, Louisiana would join a small but growing number of states reconsidering the impact of these highly granular wagering markets.

Elevating Gambling Violations to Racketeering

House Bill 53 aims to bring unlawful gambling activity under the state’s broader enterprise crime apparatus. The bill adds several statutory offenses including computer gambling and electronic sweepstakes violations to Louisiana’s racketeering predicate list. By doing so, prosecutors would be empowered to pursue enhanced enterprise-level charges and asset forfeiture when gambling violations are found to be part of a larger criminal scheme. This move is designed to dismantle the financial infrastructure of "gray market" operators who attempt to bypass state licensing requirements.