Louisiana House Bill 53 Targets Sweepstakes Casinos with Racketeering Charges
Louisiana legislators are ramping up their fight against online sweepstakes casinos by proposing to classify certain gambling offenses as racketeering crimes. House Bill 53, introduced ahead of the 2026 session, could deliver million-dollar fines and decades-long prison sentences to operators.
What House Bill 53 Proposes for Online Gambling in Louisiana
Rep. Bryan Fontenot filed House Bill 53 before the legislative session kicks off in early March 2026. Rather than banning sweepstakes platforms outright, the bill amends Louisiana’s racketeering statute to include key gambling violations:
• Computer-based gambling
• Electronic sweepstakes devices
• Illegal betting
• Cockfighting wagers
• Sports bribery
This shift lets prosecutors target not just individual sweepstakes casino sites but entire networks, including conspiracy charges and asset seizures. Legal experts note it enables deeper investigations into online gambling Louisiana operations.
Racketeering convictions carry Louisiana’s harshest penalties: up to $1 million fines, 50 years of hard labor, or both. If illegal activities exceed $10,000, offenders lose parole or probation eligibility for significant portions of their sentence.
Sweepstakes Casino Crackdown: Operators Exit Louisiana After 2025 Veto
The bill follows a turbulent 2025 for Louisiana sweepstakes casinos. Lawmakers passed a ban on dual-currency sweepstakes models—common in these platforms—but Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed it. He argued existing laws already outlaw them, giving regulators ample tools.
Post-veto, enforcement intensified. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board and Attorney General’s office issued numerous cease-and-desist orders. Major platforms responded by pulling out of Louisiana or restricting offerings to non-real-money games.
State officials maintain that sweepstakes casinos, where players risk value for prizes, violate broad illegal betting statutes. The Attorney General reinforced this in a 2025 opinion, citing multiple law breaks.
Why Racketeering Could End Sweepstakes Casinos in Louisiana
House Bill 53 signals a strategic pivot: lawmakers are supercharging existing criminal laws over new bans. By tying sweepstakes casino crimes to racketeering, Louisiana aims to deter operators, dismantle support networks, and protect residents from unregulated online gambling.
Stakeholders watch closely as the 2026 session nears—could this be the final blow to gray-market gaming in the state?
