Louisiana Daily Fantasy Sports

Louisiana daily fantasy sports sites are legal in most parishes. A handful of rural parishes do not allow fantasy sports apps, but fans in those areas are not entirely out of luck. They can still sign up for accounts from anywhere and enter real-money contests whenever they visit any of the state’s 47 DFS-friendly parishes.

State law still prohibits fantasy player props and predictions apps, but that’s basically a moot point because online sportsbooks in Louisiana offer all the parlays and player props fans could ever want.

Louisiana Daily Fantasy Sports Sites

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Which Louisiana Parishes Allow DFS Apps?

Voters in 47 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes voted in favor of legalizing fantasy sports in a 2018 referendum.

Support for legalization was strongest among Louisiana’s urban parishes, with New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and most other population centers approving daily fantasy sports. According to some reports, 92% of Louisianans live in parishes that opted in.

Sports fans who live in parishes that voted yes to DFS may participate in paid fantasy contests. Those who live in parishes that voted no may still register for DFS accounts and deposit, but they must travel to parishes that voted yes when entering real-money contests.

Parishes that voted in favor of DFS:

  • Acadia
  • Ascension
  • Assumption
  • Bienville
  • Bossier
  • Caddo
  • Calcasieu
  • Cameron
  • Claiborne
  • Concordia
  • De Soto
  • East Baton Rouge
  • East Carroll
  • East Feliciana
  • Evangeline
  • Iberia
  • Iberville
  • Jefferson
  • Lafayette
  • Lafourche
  • Lincoln
  • Livingston
  • Madison
  • Natchitoches
  • Orleans
  • Ouachita
  • Plaquemines
  • Pointe Coupee
  • Rapides
  • Red River
  • St. Bernard
  • St. Charles
  • St. Helena
  • St. James
  • St. John the Baptist
  • St. Landry
  • St. Martin
  • St. Mary
  • St. Tammany
  • Tangipahoa
  • Tensas
  • Terrebonne
  • Vermillion
  • Washington
  • Webster
  • West Baton Rouge
  • West Feliciana

Parishes that voted against DFS:

  • Allen
  • Avoyelles
  • Beauregard
  • Caldwell
  • Catahoula
  • Franklin
  • Grant
  • Jackson
  • Jefferson Davis
  • Lasalle
  • Morehouse
  • Richland
  • Sabine
  • Union
  • Vernon
  • West Carroll
  • Winn

Louisiana Daily Fantasy Sports Law

Louisiana lawmakers passed HB 64 in 2020 to levy an 8% tax on the net revenue of daily fantasy operators. In doing so, they cleared the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) to create a regulatory framework for daily fantasy sports.

The LGCB adopted the needed regulations a short time later, clearing the way for operators to apply for licenses and offer daily fantasy sports in Louisiana.

Fantasy sites that wish to operate in Louisiana must apply for licenses from the LGCB before offering their services within state lines. Per state law, applicants must “demonstrate experience, reputation, competence, and financial responsibility” to qualify for Louisiana fantasy sports licenses.

The Louisiana DFS licensing process is more extensive than most, with operators subject to background investigations on all key personnel and obligated to provide any additional information requested by the LGCB.

And finally, the LGCB considers “suitability” for licensing as “an ongoing process.” In other words, Louisiana DFS licenses are subject to revocation at any time for failure to provide requested information or conform to all daily fantasy regulations.

Licensed Louisiana DFS operators must adhere to many consumer protection and integrity regulations. The rules cover a lot of ground, addressing everything from entry limits per contest to identity verification requirements.

Some of the key consumer protection rules include:

  • Bettors must be 21 or older to participate in Louisiana DFS contests
  • Licensed Louisiana DFS sites must block access to paid contests from all restricted parishes via effective geolocation technology
  • Athletes, coaches, league personnel, etc., may not participate in fantasy contests for sporting events in which they have influence
  • Prevent DFS employees and their same-household relatives from participating in contests on their own DFS platforms
  • Offer simple mechanisms for players to self-exclude from participating in daily fantasy
  • Players may notify the LGCB of compromised and mishandled accounts; the LGCB shall investigate such claims and take reasonable actions to address the issue

Louisiana DFS regulations include numerous provisions designed to level the playing field. These provisions aim to prevent highly experienced players from submitting mass entries into contests and sucking most of the money out of the DFS ecosystem.

Four Louisiana daily fantasy rules address the number of entries players may submit into contests by requiring operators to set the following limitations:

  • Contests with 12 or fewer entries: Each player may submit no more than one entry
  • Contests with 13 to 36 entries: Each player may submit no more than two entries
  • Contests with 37 to 99 entries: Each player may submit no more than three entries
  • Contests with 100+ entries: Each player may submit no more than three percent of all entries or 150 entries, whichever is less

Operators must also take every reasonable step to prevent the sharing of confidential information that could impact DFS contests until that information becomes publicly available.

Louisiana DFS rules also require operators to prohibit players from using unauthorized scripts or other programs to gain an unfair advantage over other users.

In addition, operators must clearly label highly experienced players with symbols or other means in a way that is visible to all other customers. Licensed Louisiana fantasy sites must also provide beginners-only contests. The LGCB defines beginners and highly experienced players as follows:

  • Beginner player: Has entered 50 or fewer contests offered by a licensee and does not meet the definition of a highly experienced player
  • Highly experienced player: Has entered more than 1,000 contests offered by a single licensee or has won more than three prizes of $1,000 or more from a single licensee

How Louisiana DFS Apps Were Legalized

When DraftKings DFS launched for Louisiana residents in July 2021, it closed the final chapter on Louisiana’s long-running effort to legalize fantasy sports.

Before DraftKings’ launch, Louisiana was one of just a few holdout states without legal fantasy sports apps. However, the winds began to change in 2018 when the legislature passed HB 484, calling for a statewide referendum on legalizing fantasy sports contests in Louisiana.

The referendum appeared on the November ballot, and Louisiana voters in 47 of 64 parishes voted to legalize daily fantasy sports. All major popular centers in Louisiana approved the measure, bringing legal fantasy sports to more than 90% of the state’s population.

Nothing changed on the ground for sports fans immediately because the referendum only authorized lawmakers to introduce legislation legalizing and taxing daily fantasy sports.

Unfortunately, lawmakers dropped the ball during the subsequent legislative session. A Louisiana fantasy sports bill came very close to passing, but Sen. Danny Martiny filibustered it at the last minute after House members removed amendments from the bill that would have also authorized sports betting.

“I don’t think this is the way you do business,” said Martiny.” I don’t like the way that I was treated. I would feel the same way if any of my colleagues were treated this way.”

The failure set back Louisiana daily fantasy sports legislation by about two years.

Lawmakers passed a fantasy sports tax bill in 2020, which finally set things in motion for DFS. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board adopted additional regulations and issued its first licenses to fantasy sites the following year.

Now, residents can participate in daily fantasy sports contests online in the 47 parishes that approved DFS in the November 2018 election.

Louisiana Daily Fantasy Sports FAQ

Yes. Louisiana voters in 47 parishes voted to legalize daily fantasy sports during the November 2018 election. The first licensed Louisiana fantasy sites launched in 2021.

Fans in the handful of Louisiana parishes that voted against legalizing daily fantasy may still sign up for accounts, deposit funds, and watch contest results. However, they must physically travel to a parish that allows daily fantasy to enter paid contests.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board is responsible for all daily fantasy licensing and regulatory duties.

DraftKings DFS and FanDuel DFS are the only licensed daily fantasy sites in Louisiana.

Louisiana law requires all daily fantasy participants to be 21 or older.

Yes. Louisiana law requires operators to provide easily accessible means for players to self-exclude entirely or establish self-imposed limits on money spent, funds deposited, and number of contests entered.

Additionally, players can call the Louisiana Problem Gamblers Help Line toll-free at 1-877-770-7867. Players can also visit the websites of the Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling (LACG) and the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) for more resources.