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Louisiana governor finalizes law that could ban bettors who harass athletes from placing future wagers

Derek Helling

Legal Writer

Publish Date: Jun 04, 2026

Fact checked by: Matt Moreno

Key Points

Statute gives regulators power to add people found to have harassed competition participants to Louisiana’s excluded list for sports wagering.
People whose names appear on the excluded list face fines and possible jail time for entering licensed sportsbooks in Louisiana.
Excluded persons could also face penalties for attempting to open an account with a licensed online sportsbooks in the state.

Later in 2026, sports bettors in Louisiana who harass athletes, coaches, officials, and other individuals connected to sporting events could be barred from using legal sportsbooks in most of the state’s parishes. Gov. Jeff Landry has signed a bill that allows for people found to have committed this type of harassment to the list of excluded persons for sports betting in Louisiana.

People who attempt to place wagers while on the excluded persons list face criminal penalties in Louisiana. However, the victims of such abuse will still bear much of the responsibility for starting this process.

Tyler Shough #6 of the New Orleans Saints throws a pass during the first half against the Carolina Panthers at Caesars Superdome on December 14, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Landry adds signature to SB325

Landry signed SB325 on May 29, setting the law up to take effect on Aug. 1, 2026. The statue effectively broadens the powers of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) in the use of the excluded persons list for sports wagering.

While Louisiana also has a self-exclusion program for gambling, that is a voluntary system. The excluded persons list consists of people who have been added involuntarily.

There are numerous reasons why people may be added to the excluded persons list, and not all of them are connected to illicit or illegal activity. However, the new motivation for the LGCB to expand the list is indeed connected to illicit or illegal activity.

Bettors face exclusion for harassment connected to wagering

The statute lays out a two-step test for whether its tenets empower the LGCB to add a bettor to the excluded persons list. The first of those parameters considers whether the harassment targeted a person involved in a sporting event.

This type of harassment most often targets athletes, coaches, and officials. However, harassment directed at front office staff for teams and other personnel could fit within this definition as well.

The second test is whether the harassment connects to betting activity. If the potentially abusive communication does not mention wagering, this statute may not apply.

Should the behavior in question check both boxes, the LGCB could then add an individual to the excluded persons list. That could mean significant consequences for non-compliance if authorities become aware of the harassment.

Violators could receive fines and be incarcerated

In Louisiana, the law penalizes people on the excluded persons list who attempt to enter the premises of physical sportsbooks or try to open accounts with licensed online sportsbooks. The penalties could include a fine of up to $500 or as many as six months in jail.

While those consequences could suffice as a deterrent for people on the excluded list, questions remain about the process of getting perpetrators to that point. For the most part, exposing abusive communication connected to wagering still relies on victims of such abuse to report the behavior.

Once a report is filed, investigators can subpoena social media account records, phone records, and more. If the harassment was verbal, recordings and eyewitness accounts can assist.

Until a better system that holds bad actors accountable while still protecting privacy rights and speech freedoms online emerges, combatting abusive behavior connected to sports wagering will rely on victim reports. Louisiana has enacted a system that gives regulators the authority to remove bad actors from access to licensed sportsbooks, which is a positive development.

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