Louisiana sends illegal gambling racketeering bill to governor
Table of contents
- Louisiana’s legislature has passed House Bill 53, which would classify a range of illegal gambling offences as racketeering crimes carrying up to 50 years in prison.
- The bill now awaits Governor Jeff Landry’s signature, though he previously vetoed a sweepstakes casino ban in June 2025.
- A companion bill, HB 883, targeting dual-currency sweepstakes platforms, is advancing separately and has reached the Senate floor calendar.
Louisiana’s legislature has sent a bill to Governor Jeff Landry that would make operating illegal gambling platforms — including sweepstakes casinos — a racketeering offence punishable by up to 50 years in prison and fines of up to $1 million.
House Bill 53, introduced by Rep. Bryan Fontenot, passed the House by an 86–11 vote on March 30 and cleared the Senate with a 27–9 margin on April 28. Enrolled without amendments, it was signed by the Speaker of the House on April 29 and by the President of the Senate on May 4. The legislation now sits with Landry, who must decide whether to sign or veto it.
What the bill does
HB 53’s core objective is not to introduce a standalone prohibition on sweepstakes gambling, but to add existing gambling crimes to the state’s racketeering statute. This would allow prosecutors to pursue enterprise-level cases rather than isolated violations.
The bill extends the existing racketeering framework to cover offences including public gambling, computer-assisted wagering, operating electronic sweepstakes devices, unlawful wagering by prohibited players, and bribery of sports participants.
Penalties under the measure are far tougher than typical gambling violations elsewhere in the country. Offenders could face fines of up to $1 million and prison terms of up to 50 years at hard labor. In cases where the racketeering activity exceeds $10,000 in value, the law requires that at least five years of any sentence be served without probation, parole, or suspension.
Landry’s prior veto
The bill’s fate is uncertain. Louisiana’s legislature passed a less extreme ban on sweepstakes gaming in 2025, but Landry rejected it when it reached his desk.
Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a formal legal opinion in July 2025 concluding that online sweepstakes casinos using dual-currency or promotional-prize models violate Louisiana law. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board followed with more than 40 cease-and-desist letters to sweepstakes and social casino operators.
Governor Landry, in his June 2025 veto statement, said:
“As such, this bill is a solution in search of a problem that is already being solved by our current system, and some of the language in this bill is overly broad and could be interpreted in an adverse manner, which may harm or impede our current enforcement actions taken against these bad actors.”
Chief Deputy Attorney General Larry Frieman backed HB 53 during committee hearings, arguing that Louisiana needs a stronger stance against illegal gambling. Whether that support will persuade Landry to sign the new racketeering bill remains to be seen.
Companion bill advances
A second measure is moving through the legislature in parallel. Rep. Laurie Schlegel‘s House Bill 883 focuses on dual-currency sweepstakes that mimic gambling. Unlike HB 53, which targets racketeering, HB 883 focuses on the broader ecosystem — platform providers, gaming content suppliers, geolocation providers, promoters, media affiliates, and any other person who knowingly supports or facilitates these platforms.
Violators under HB 883 could be fined up to $40,000 and imprisoned for up to five years, with every online wager accepted deemed a separate violation. The bill would empower Murrill’s office to seek temporary or permanent injunctions.
HB 883 has now reached the Senate floor calendar, keeping pressure on sweepstakes operators as the legislative session continues.
Louisiana’s twin-track push is part of a broader national trend. Indiana moved to ban the model outright earlier this year, and other states including Montana, Nevada, and New Jersey have each introduced varying levels of enforcement against unlicensed sweepstakes activity.
If Landry signs HB 53, Louisiana would carry some of the harshest penalties for illegal gambling in the United States. For sweepstakes operators still active in the state, the combination of a racketeering statute and a targeted companion bill will likely force a decisive compliance review.
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