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Louisiana Bill Classifying Sweepstakes Casinos as Racketeering Nears Passage

Legal Writer

Publish Date: Apr 22, 2026

Fact checked by: Matt Moreno

Key Points

Louisiana House Bill 53 has cleared state Senate committees after being approved by the state House of Representatives.
Many sweepstakes casinos have already stopped doing business in the state after previous enforcement actions.
The proposal would add operating an online sweepstakes casino to the state’s list of activities considered racketeering.

The Louisiana Senate Legislative Bureau has consented to the potential passage of House Bill 53, which could classify the operation of online casino-style games with prizes offered through a dual-currency sweepstakes model as fitting the state’s definition of racketeering. While law enforcement in Louisiana already considers these games to be violations of the state’s gambling laws, encoding the offering of the games as racketeering would represent a drastic escalation of the potential penalties.

Louisiana would also be the first U.S. state to classify sweepstakes casinos in this manner. The new statute would provide further incentive for sweepstakes casino operators to geofence Louisiana out of their addressable markets, as many already have.

Louisiana state capitol

House Bill 53 advances toward full Senate vote

With the Legislative Bureau clearance, House Bill 53 has passed its second reading and moves on to its third in the Louisiana Senate. In most cases, that is when a final vote on legislation in the Senate occurs.

The proposal cleared the Louisiana House of Representatives on March 30, meaning that a favorable vote on the third reading in the Senate would send the bill to Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry. House Bill 53 includes a tenet that makes “gambling by computer” part of the state’s existing racketeering statute.

In Louisiana, racketeering convictions carry potential penalties of a fine up to $1 million plus incarceration of no more than 50 years. Convicted individuals may face a combination of those penalties, too.

The pertinent issue if House Bill 53 becomes law is whether sweepstakes casinos fit within the statute’s parameters. Through the current attorney general, the state’s position is likely to represent an affirmative answer to that question.

Louisiana attorney general has already taken action against sweepstakes casinos

In June 2025, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board issued cease-and-desist demands to the operators of over 40 websites, classifying them as illegal gaming enterprises. A few days later, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill responded to a request for an opinion on the legality of sweepstakes casinos, also characterizing them as violating state gaming laws.

In response to those developments, many sweepstakes casino operators voluntarily restricted their businesses for people in the state. Current sites that don’t permit people in Louisiana to purchase coin packages include High 5 Casino and McLuck.

However, others such as Chumba, Fliff, and Luckyland do not list Louisiana among their restricted jurisdictions currently. The escalation that House Bill 53 represents could provide additional motivation to those who are still offering gold coin packages to people in Louisiana. That is if the case against the websites is airtight.

Separate bill could address any vague language governing sweepstakes casinos

Louisiana House Bill 883 has also cleared the state House in a 99-0 vote and is currently under consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill mentions games that use a dual-currency system and defines such games as “gambling by computer.”

Pairing HB 53 and HB 883 would make a convincing case that sweepstakes casino operators need to substantially modify their offerings at the very least. Compliance to avoid the racketeering charges would at a minimum require the abandonment of dual-currency systems.

HB 53 on its own could still make Louisiana a far less hospitable place for sweepstakes casino operators than it already is. In fact, racketeering charges would represent the most serious criminal allegations levied against individuals involved in running a sweepstakes casino yet.

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