Louisiana Online Casinos: Legal Casinos in Louisiana

Are online casinos in Louisiana live yet?

If you are looking for online casinos where you can gamble with real money, then Louisiana doesn’t yet have any legal options available. However, things appear to be moving in a fairly positive direction. Riverboat Casinos have been given permission to expand in recent years. More encouragingly, online sports wagering went live in most parishes in early 2022, having been voted through in late 2020.

Sweepstakes casinos are no longer a legal alternative in Louisiana with the new rules taking effect on August 1st 2026 banning dual-currency sweepstakes casino models under HB 883.

But, if free to play online casino gaming is your thing, you may still have an avenue to explore in Louisiana with Gold Coin only online casinos. This is because they only use one virtual currency that cannot be redeemed for prizes, but we will update this page with further information once we have received more updates about the full legality of these in Louisiana.

What changed with Louisiana sweepstakes casinos in 2026?

Louisiana has strengthened its laws against online gambling through House Bill 883 which was introduced by Laurie Schlegel and then signed by the governor on May 15th 2026. This became Act 182, and officially took effect on August 1st 2026.

The new updated legislation has changed the gambling scene in Louisiana by banning online sites that use dual currencies and allow players to redeem a currency for cash prizes or cash equivalents. This now means that dual currency sweepstakes casino models are now banned in the state.

What gambling is still allowed in Louisiana?

The sweepstakes casino changes do not mean that all forms of gambling have been prohibited. Louisiana still allows several regulated gambling options including:

• Land-based casino gaming at authorised commercial, riverboat and tribal casino properties
• Retail and online sports betting (in some parishes)
• Daily Fantasy Sports
• Pari-mutuel horse racing and wagering through authorised operators
• Video poker at licensed establishments
• The Louisiana Lottery
• Charitable gaming

The best alternatives to Louisiana online casinos

So far, we have established that online casinos are not yet legal in Louisiana. In the sections that follow below, we will cover all the potential alternatives that we mentioned above in more detail. If you are interested in traveling to a state where online casinos in the US are already live do be sure to check the local availability at the time as laws are always subject to change.

Louisiana social casinos

Following the changes of HB 883 that took effect on August 1st 2026, it looks like there may still be true free to play social casinos available in the state. Unlike dual currency platforms, they only use one currency that cannot be redeemed for prizes.

For those unaware, it is important to stress that the virtual currency you use to play at online social casinos exists for the purposes of entertainment only. It has no real-world value, and cannot be withdrawn nor used to trade for cash and prizes.

The availability of these sites in the state is not fully confirmed yet after the recent law updates, but once we have a confirmed list of operators we will show you the best alternatives.

Land-based casinos in Louisiana

You might not be able to gamble real money at an online casino from the comfort of your home or from your mobile. However, there are quite a number of retail options available for you if you want to gamble in person. There are four Indian casinos in the state with federal approval as well as over 40 state-licensed casinos. There are also pari-mutuel betting shops that have slots, and in around half of the 64 parishes, you can play video poker at bars and truck stops.

What does the future hold for online casinos in Louisiana?

Nothing is certain; however, Louisiana has proven to be one of the more progressive gambling states in recent years. In total, there are over 130 locations that offer some form of legal land-based casino gambling games and activities. Moreover, the legalization of mobile sports wagering has thus far proven to be a success.

If Louisiana were to take steps toward legalizing online casinos, the course of action would likely be similar to that of online sports betting. If that were to be the case, then a vote would be held on a parish-by-parish basis, and the jurisdictions deciding to vote against it would just see the sites blocked using geolocation technology. However, this is completely speculative at this stage.

Louisiana online casinos – the legal statuses have changed

Now that you have a full picture of the online casino landscape in Louisiana, you should now be aware that alongside online real money casinos being banned, sweepstakes casinos are no longer legal since 1st August 2026 under HB 883.

However, there may still be alternatives such as true social casinos, these are free to play and only have one virtual currency (typically Gold Coins), although this is yet to be confirmed for the state. Once we have the latest we will be sure to update this page but in the meantime you are able to enjoy the land based casinos.

Louisiana Online Casinos FAQ