Anti-Sweeps Bill HB 53 Passes Louisiana Legislature

One of Louisiana’s two sweepstakes casino-related bills passed the state legislature this week. Yes, HB 53 now heads to the desk of Governor Jeff Landry (pictured) for a signature.

Meanwhile, HB 883, the other sweeps-related bill in the state, is making solid progress as well. It’s already passed the House, and is seeing committee progression in the Senate with no sign of resistance.

So what’s the difference between these two bills and how would they work in tandem?

HB 53 is Focused on Racketeering

HB 53 is the bill with a less direct relationship to sweepstakes casinos, but it could have consequences that go beyond anything we’ve seen in other US states.

The focus of the bill is racketeering – the act of conducting organized illegal business activity – and it would work by bringing a whole range of existing offences under that framework in Louisiana. Here is the list:

Your eye might be drawn to ‘Gambling by electronic sweepstakes device’, but this is generally thought to refer to physical or machine-based systems rather than modern online dual-currency sweepstakes models.

More relevant is ‘Gambling by computer’, which is the provision that could combine with HB 883, and this is where HB 53 would become more threatening for sweeps operators.

That’s because anything brought under racketeering laws is exposed to a higher level of enforcement pressure than standalone gambling offences.

For example, gambling violations in Louisiana can be treated as misdemeanours or felonies depending on the details, but if certain offences are escalated into a racketeering framework, they can carry longer sentences and increased fines, depending on how the case is prosecuted.

There aren’t fixed penalties attached to racketeering in a simple way – instead, it would allow prosecutors to stack offences and pursue cases as part of a wider pattern of alleged organized activity.

With that in mind, HB 53 will now wait for either a signature or veto from the Governor.

HB 883 Wants to Outlaw Sweepstakes Casinos

HB 883 is a more direct proposal. It is an anti-sweepstakes bill in the traditional sense, similar to legislation that has already passed in states such as Indiana and Maine this year. It would move dual-currency sweepstakes casinos under the state’s definition of ‘gambling by computer’, bringing penalties of up to $100,000 or imprisonment – that’s before racketeering is considered.

In fact, it’s very similar to SB 181 from last year – a bill which cleared the legislature but was ultimately vetoed by Governor Jeff Landry. At the time, he argued that existing state law already covered things off. That position was later reflected when most operators exited the state following a wave of cease-and-desist notices.

So whether HB 883 is strictly necessary is still open to interpretation. What is clear is that it has moved through the House unanimously and is progressing through the Senate without opposition so far – lawmakers clearly support the idea.

And if it does pass, it would work alongside HB 53 in practice – one bill defining the activity (‘gambling by computer’), with the other classifying it as racketeering and expanding the enforcement options available.

This would remove any remaining ambiguity around sweepstakes-style gaming in Louisiana and strengthen the state’s enforcement framework substantially.

At this stage, most operators have already exited Louisiana, but if both bills are enacted, it would effectively close off any remaining gray areas in law or interpretation.

We’ll continue to monitor both bills as they move through the final stages, with the LA legislature closing June 1.