LA. SPORTS BETTING - This year Louisiana lawmakers approved a bill that allows riverboat casinos to move on land. But Lawmakers didn’t support a bill that would’ve allowed sports betting while other states including neighboring Mississippi, approved legal wagering on sports which analysts say is at least a 6 billion dollar industry.
During the last regular session, State Senator Danny Martiny (R-Metairie) brought the bill that would have allowed Louisiana voters to vote on sports betting. He told Public Radio WRKF in Baton Rouge that his bill would’ve helped address state budget shortfalls.
Martiny said “You can beat your chest and say ‘hey, we voted down sports betting’. Also we probably have to close some universities and hospitals because don’t have any revenue. And the legislature, particularly the House is not hell-bent on providing enough money to fund—you know – they don’t want to raise taxes and they don’t want to make cuts. Well good, this is another available way that we could solve some of those problems.”
Senator Martiny says he’ll bring a Sports Betting Bill for consideration during the next Regular Session in April.
