Louisiana sports betting looks dead after latest rejection

Louisiana looks set to miss out on sports betting this year after the state’s House of Representatives rejected amendments to a fantasy sports bill that would have given citizens a vote on legalising wagering.

House Bill 459 primarily focuses on legalising daily fantasy sports contests in the state, but having passed the House last month, was then amended by the Senate to also include the sports betting measure.

The amendment set out plans to stage an election for Louisiana citizens to vote on whether the state should also progress with plans to legalise sports betting. It was approved in the Senate earlier this week by a vote of 24-13.

Had it been approved by the House, and secured a majority of votes in the state, it would have cleared the way to implement the regulatory framework for sports betting set out in Senator Daniel Martiny’s Senate Bill 153.

However, the House has moved quickly to reject the amended bill, unanimously voting it down 97-0 during a session yesterday (June 4), ahead of the end of the current legislative session on June 6.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

Image: Stuart Seeger