LA Senator: Louisiana missing out on sports book revenue

Gulf coast casinos are expecting an influx of football fans for the big game this weekend,...
Gulf coast casinos are expecting an influx of football fans for the big game this weekend, especially with the recent addition of sports betting. While Mississippi is raking in revenue with the addition of sports books, Louisiana lawmakers say we?re missing out.
Updated: Jan. 31, 2019 at 10:18 PM CST
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NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Gulf coast casinos are expecting an influx of football fans for the big game this weekend, especially with the recent addition of sports betting. While Mississippi is raking in revenue with the addition of sports books, Louisiana lawmakers say we’re missing out.

It’s a big weekend for sports books along the gulf coast.

“We get a big influx of folks that come in from Louisiana and from Alabama,” said Scarlet Pearl Sports Book Director Nico Sfanos.

We’re not just talking about the regular gamblers, but first-timers looking to cash in.

“They’re going to have a little bit of added interest whether it’s one of the proposition bets or if it’s just a wager on their favorite team to win the game,” Sfanos explained.

Proposition bets include wagers like whether a team will score a safety or how long the national anthem will last.

“Traditionally you’re betting on a winner or for the over under on the game, but now these proposition bets have probably become about 50-percent of our business,” said Sfanos.

In short, this weekend promises impressive numbers for casinos already reveling in newfound revenue from sports books.

“We can’t compete with that and, as a result, people who want to do it, they’re going to go to the coast and I can’t say that I blame them,” said Louisiana Senator Danny Martiny. “It’s disheartening.”

Senator Danny Martiny says it’s evident Louisiana is losing out on a lot of money. He pushed a sports betting bill last session but the legislature tabled it before the Supreme Court ruled.

“When the supreme court legalized it, I knew that Mississippi was going to jump right on it and, as usual, what we did is we passed and now we’re going to be at least a year and a half behind them, assuming something passes,” Martiny said.

Martiny says he’s been working on another bill for the past month, getting input from the gambling control board and some of his legislative colleagues. Plus, those who would be directly impacted.

“I think we have a good chance of passing it if we take a realistic look at the reason why were doing it. We’re not trying to become Las Vegas, we’re trying to, at least, compete with our neighboring states that have embraced it,” said Martiny.

“It’s added revenue for the casino and you know we’re getting folks from Louisiana and from Alabama, from other surrounding states and it’s proving to be lucrative and, at some point, folks in Louisiana they might have to look at it,” echoed Sfanos.

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