Sweepstakes Casinos in Louisiana: A Veto, Then Racketeering
Sweepstakes casinos in Louisiana took the strange route: the governor vetoed the ban, declared the games already illegal in the same breath, and the state then pursued operators under racketeering law.
| Legislation | SB 181 — 2025 ban bill, passed unanimously; vetoed by Gov. Jeff Landry, June 2025 |
|---|---|
| Veto rationale | Landry stated the games were already illegal and the Gaming Control Board did not need new powers |
| Regulator action | Louisiana Gaming Control Board: 40+ cease-and-desist orders |
| Civil action | $44 million suit against VGW and WOW Vegas |
| Criminal exposure | HB 53, enacted as Act No. 483 without the Governor’s signature — racketeering; reported exposure up to 50 years and $1 million |
| Status | enforcement |
| What defines it | Ban vetoed; 40+ C&Ds; $44M suit; racketeering exposure |
| Last verified | 2026-08-28 |
The veto that was not a reprieve
Operators who read the June 2025 veto as good news misread it completely. Landry vetoed the ban because he considered it redundant — his position was that the games were already unlawful and that the Gaming Control Board had every tool it required. The board then proved him right, issuing more than forty cease-and-desist orders and suing VGW and WOW Vegas for $44 million.
Racketeering
HB 53 — enacted as Act No. 483 after the Governor declined to sign it — brings sweepstakes operations within reach of Louisiana’s racketeering provisions. Reported exposure runs to fifty years and a million dollars. Whether that construction survives a contested prosecution is untested, and no operator has volunteered to find out.
Louisiana is where a legislative defeat produced a harsher outcome than the bill would have.
Can you still play a sweepstakes casino in Louisiana?
The major operators withdrew. The Gaming Control Board issued more than forty cease-and-desist orders and sued VGW and WOW Vegas for $44 million, and Act 483 put racketeering exposure behind it. Whether any individual site remains reachable from Louisiana is not something this page can verify, and a site being reachable is not evidence that it is lawful.
Sources
- Verified Louisiana Legislature, SB 181 bill information, 2025 Regular Session — current status “Vetoed by the Governor”.
- Verified Louisiana Legislature, HB 53 bill information, 2025 Regular Session — “Becomes Act No. 483 without the Governor’s signature”.
- Probable Legal Sports Report, “Louisiana Gov. Landry Vetoes Sweepstakes Casino Ban” (13 June 2025) — trade press. The veto itself is Verified above from the Legislature’s own bill record; this source carries only the Governor’s stated rationale, which the bill record does not contain. Relabelled 29 August 2026: trade press is not a primary source and this page should not have called it one.
- Verified Louisiana Gaming Control Board cease-and-desist campaign, 40+ orders; LGCB Chair Christopher Hebert statement (2025).
- Probable $44 million action against VGW and WOW Vegas; HB 53 racketeering exposure reported at up to 50 years / $1 million — confirm against filed pleadings before relying on the figures.
Flickloot carries no affiliate links and takes no operator money.