Louisiana’s sweepstakes casino ban takes effect, with fines rising to $100,000

Louisiana has now put its ban on dual-currency sweepstakes casinos into force, and it did not stop at a simple prohibition. House Bill 883 and House Bill 53 also raise the stakes for illegal gambling enforcement, which matters for any PSP or operator still treating sweepstakes as a gray-area business line.

1. House Bill 883, signed by Governor Jeff Landry after passing unanimously in both legislative chambers, explicitly prohibits dual-currency sweepstakes casinos under Louisiana gambling law. It also raises the maximum fine for illegal online gambling operations from $20,000 to $100,000, while keeping the maximum prison sentence at five years.
2. House Bill 53 was signed at the same time and expands Louisiana’s racketeering statute to include gambling offences. That gives prosecutors another tool, with penalties of up to 50 years of hard labour and fines of up to $1m.
3. Last year, Landry vetoed a similar proposal, saying existing law already gave authorities enough tools to act against dual-currency platforms. Attorney General Liz Murrill later backed that view with a legal opinion saying sweepstakes casinos already violated Louisiana law.
4. After that opinion, the Attorney General’s office and the Louisiana Gaming Control Board sent cease-and-desist letters to operators. More than 40 sweepstakes brands then either left Louisiana or stopped offering purchasable coin products.
5. The practical change here is not just the wording of the statute. By passing HB 883 and HB 53, Louisiana removed the legal ambiguity around dual-currency sweepstakes casinos and widened the criminal exposure for anyone still servicing the state.