Best online sportsbook Louisiana has meant DraftKings and FanDuel since mobile betting opened on January 28, 2022, and nothing about 2026 handle numbers disturbs that. What actually sets Louisiana apart from the rest of this list isn't which app is on top — it's that nine parishes still don't allow any of them.
The Vote That Still Blocks Nine Parishes
Louisiana didn't legalize sports betting statewide and call it done. A November 2020 ballot measure asked voters in all 64 parishes, individually, whether to allow it locally — a structure no other state had used. Fifty-five parishes said yes, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Nine said no: Caldwell, Catahoula, Franklin, Jackson, LaSalle, Sabine, Vermilion, West Carroll, and Winn. Anyone physically inside one of those nine is geofenced out of every app on this page, no matter where they're registered — the law that followed the vote, Acts 440 and 443 of 2021, ties legality to the bettor's location, not their home address.
Louisiana sports betting, by the numbers
- Launch date: October 7, 2021 retail, January 28, 2022 online
- Regulator: Louisiana Gaming Control Board
- Opted-out parishes: 9 of 64 (Caldwell, Catahoula, Franklin, Jackson, LaSalle, Sabine, Vermilion, West Carroll, Winn)
- Licensed online brands: 8 — DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365, BetRivers, ESPN Bet, Fanatics
- Online tax rate: 21.5% (up from 15%, effective August 1, 2025)
- Minimum betting age: 21
Is Louisiana Sports Betting Legit? Eight Books, No Published Leaderboard
Here's the catch with ranking Louisiana sportsbooks: the state doesn't let you. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board's monthly filings split handle and revenue between retail and online — $260.7 million mobile against $11.4 million retail in August 2026, about 96% of all action moving through a phone — but never name which operator carried what. Kentucky, by contrast, reports DraftKings-versus-FanDuel splits down to the dollar every month. That’s a legitimate regulator doing its job differently, not a red flag; it just means any "best in Louisiana" pick has to lean on national scale and how long an operator has actually run here, not a state scoreboard that doesn't exist.
The SPORT Fund: Tax Money Now Pays for College Scholarships
Louisiana became the first state to directly tie sports-betting tax revenue to college athletics. Governor Jeff Landry signed House Bill 639 on June 11, 2025, raising the online tax rate from 15% to 21.5% effective August 1, 2025, and routing 25% of that money into a new account — the Supporting Programs, Opportunities, Resources, and Teams Fund. Eleven public Division I schools, LSU included, split the proceeds for scholarships, medical coverage, and facility costs. The rate hike shows up directly in the state's own numbers: March 2026 tax collections hit $9.43 million, roughly double what the same handle would have generated under the old 15% rate.
Is Louisiana Sports Betting Safe? The College Prop-Bet Wall
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board banned proposition bets on individual college athletes effective August 1, 2024 — no more wagers on a specific LSU quarterback's passing yards or a Tulane guard's rebound total, though full-team prop bets and any pro-league player props are untouched. Board chairman Ronnie Johns said the state moved ahead of the NCAA’s own push on the issue, citing reports of bettors harassing college athletes over prop outcomes. Louisiana joined Maryland, Ohio, and Vermont as the first wave of states to draw that line.
Worth Betting Legally in Louisiana Now?
Yes, for anyone 21 or older physically inside one of the 55 parishes that opted in. DraftKings and FanDuel have run without interruption since January 2022, the eight-operator field hasn't lost anyone since Fanatics joined in 2024, and the tax increase that funds Louisiana’s college athletic departments comes out of operator margins, not a bettor’s payout. None of that makes sports betting a way to make money — it’s 21-and-over entertainment with the house holding the edge, and the Louisiana Problem Gamblers Helpline, 1-877-770-STOP, is free and confidential if it stops feeling that way.
The short list
- 1. DraftKings — Live since day one, tethered to Golden Nugget Lake Charles
DraftKings has operated in Louisiana since online betting launched January 28, 2022, running through its market-access deal with Golden Nugget Casino in Lake Charles, and led national handle share at roughly 35.8% as of March 2026.
- 2. FanDuel — Narrowly leads national GGR, same January 2022 launch
FanDuel launched in Louisiana alongside DraftKings on January 28, 2022, and posted the highest national GGR share of any sportsbook, around 37.1%, as of March 2026.
- 3. BetMGM — Licensed through Boyd Gaming since the 2022 launch
BetMGM has held a Louisiana Gaming Control Board license tethered to Boyd Gaming since the state's online market opened in January 2022, one of the original six day-one operators.
- 4. Caesars Sportsbook — Tethered to two casinos — New Orleans and Bossier City
Caesars Sportsbook is licensed through both Harrah's New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City, giving it a wider land-based footprint in Louisiana than most of the other seven licensed apps.
- 5. Fanatics Sportsbook — The newest entrant, live since August 2024
Fanatics Sportsbook is the most recent addition to Louisiana's market, launching August 15, 2024 through a partnership with Boomtown Casino and Hotel, well after the original six-operator field.
The honest verdict
DraftKings and FanDuel are the safest defaults for a Louisiana bettor, both live since the market's first day and both backed by national handle and GGR shares in the mid-30% range as of March 2026. Louisiana itself does not publish operator-by-operator numbers the way some states do, so this ranking leans on national scale, land-based casino tethers, and tenure rather than a state leaderboard that doesn't exist. BetMGM (Boyd Gaming) and Caesars Sportsbook (Harrah's New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City) round out the original day-one group, with Fanatics Sportsbook — tethered to Boomtown Casino and Hotel since August 2024 — the newest of the eight licensed apps. None of that changes the math: this is 21-and-over entertainment with a built-in house edge, and the Louisiana Problem Gamblers Helpline, 1-877-770-STOP, is free and confidential around the clock.
Questions this list actually answers
What is the best online sportsbook in Louisiana?
DraftKings and FanDuel, on national scale and tenure — both have run in Louisiana since online betting launched January 28, 2022. Louisiana does not publish per-operator handle or revenue the way states like Kentucky do, so no app can honestly claim the state's top spot by the numbers.
Is online sports betting legal in Louisiana?
Yes, in 55 of Louisiana's 64 parishes. A November 2020 ballot measure let voters decide locally, and nine parishes — Caldwell, Catahoula, Franklin, Jackson, LaSalle, Sabine, Vermilion, West Carroll, and Winn — voted no. Retail sportsbooks opened October 7, 2021, and online betting followed January 28, 2022.
Why doesn't Louisiana rank its sportsbooks by handle like other states?
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board's monthly reports only break handle and revenue out by retail versus online, not by individual operator. That is a deliberate reporting choice, not a data gap — other states with the same eight-operator-style markets, like Kentucky, publish the operator split and Louisiana simply does not.
How old do you have to be to bet on sports in Louisiana?
21, both online and at a retail sportsbook. That has been the floor since the market launched and it has not changed.
What is Louisiana's SPORT Fund?
A dedicated account that takes 25% of the state's sports-betting tax revenue and sends it to public NCAA Division I athletic departments — LSU, Louisiana Tech, Southern, Grambling, UL Lafayette, UL Monroe, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Northwestern State, Southeastern Louisiana, and the University of New Orleans — for scholarships, medical coverage, and facility costs. Governor Jeff Landry signed the law creating it, House Bill 639, on June 11, 2025.
Can I still bet on prop bets in Louisiana?
Team-total props, yes. Player props on college athletes, no — the Louisiana Gaming Control Board banned proposition bets tied to an individual college player's statistics effective August 1, 2024, citing athlete harassment and integrity concerns. Player props on professional athletes are unaffected.