In 2004, at the height of the online gambling boom, British venture capitalist and investment manager Peter Dicks was arrested in New York at the request of Louisiana authorities.

Thus, the statute does not apply to players or the act of gambling online itself, but gives authorities powers to prosecute almost anyone involved in the running of an online gambling website. Gambling by computer is the intentional conducting, or directly assisting in the conducting as a business of any game, contest, lottery, or contrivance whereby a person risks the loss of anything of value in order to realize a profit when accessing the Internet, World Wide Web, or any part thereof by way of any computer, computer system, computer network, computer software, or any server. Here's the relevant language of the statute: Schupp, an attorney for the McGlinchey legal firm, has written, the statute focuses on 'the online casino operator and its employees also includes the casino website and software designers, developers, and those who enable and maintain the computer network that allows the games to be played.' No one in Louisiana, or anywhere else in the US, has ever been prosecuted simply for gambling online. However, it has been widely misreported that the crime of 'gambling by computer' is applicable to the simple act of playing on an unlicensed gambling site.

Louisiana is one of a handful of states whose laws specifically ban online gambling. The minimum gambling age is 18 for parimutuel betting and charitable gambling and 21 for lottery games and casino-style games.Ĭasinos, parimutuel, and video poker machines in select parishesġ8 for parimutuel and bingo 21 for lotteries, casinos, sports betting and matters relating to the licensing of legal gambling are covered in Section 27.Īll gambling outside tribal reservations is regulated by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. Most gambling-related crimes are covered by Louisiana Revised Statutes, Section 14:90 et seq.

Gambling is illegal in Louisiana unless it is expressly authorized by the state or permissible under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in the case of tribal gaming. Louisiana Criminal Law defines gambling as “intentionally conducting a game or contest in which a person risks the loss of anything of value to realize a profit.” They can engage in parimutuel betting at state racetracks, enjoy slots or table games at the state casinos, bet on sports via their mobile devices, and even play video poker in taverns or convenience stores in select parishes. Louisiana residents have plenty of land-based gambling options to choose from.

Legal age gambling