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Louisiana legislature works to close potential loopholes by sending HB 883 to governor

Legal Writer

Publish Date: May 14, 2026

Fact checked by: Matt Moreno

Key Points

HB 883 complements HB 53, which the legislature has already submitted for Gov. Jeff Landry’s approval.
HB 883 expands the state’s definition of gambling to include online sweepstakes casinos.
The two pieces of legislation combined make Louisiana one of the most daunting U.S. states for possible criminal infractions connected to sweepstakes casinos.

Louisiana is just a couple of gubernatorial signatures or a few days of inaction away from becoming arguably the most punitive jurisdiction in the United States regarding potential penalties for operating online sweepstakes casinos. The Louisiana Senate on Tuesday approved the second of two bills aimed at creating and imposing consequences for that activity.

Taken in tandem, the pieces of legislation not only characterize online sweepstakes casinos as gambling in Louisiana but also add that type of gaming to the list of possible racketeering offenses under state law. Barring vetoes from Gov. Jeff Landry, that rewriting of Louisiana’s criminal code would be an unprecedented effort to deter sweepstakes casinos’ activity in the state.

Louisiana state capitol

HB 883 follows closely behind HB 53’s legislative approval in Louisiana

After HB 53 received final legislative approval in late April, HB 883 is also soon to be on its way to Landry’s desk. Taken apart, neither bill is seriously imposing for the operators of online sweepstakes casinos doing business with people within the borders of Louisiana.

It’s the combination of the two proposals that forms a daunting scenario for the same website owners. HB 53 classifies certain types of gaming, including “gambling by computer,” as potential violations of Louisiana’s racketeering statute.

However, HB 53 does not mention sweepstakes casinos or dual-currency methods and does not contain any other language that explicitly targets the games on such websites. That’s where HB 883 comes in.

HB 883 clarifies that “any game, contest, or promotion that is available on the internet or accessible on a mobile phone, computer terminal, or similar access device that utilizes a dual-currency system of payment allowing the player to exchange the currency for any prize or award, cash, or cash equivalents, or any chance to win any prize or award, cash, or cash equivalents, and simulates any form of gambling constitutes gambling by computer.” If both bills become law, sweepstakes casinos still offering their products to Louisiana residents and visitors could have a few options for how to respond.

Adapt, exit, or run the risk

Key to the pertinent provision for sweepstakes operators in HB 883 is the utilization of a dual-currency system. Theoretically, a website that does not use such a system may be outside the scope of the presumed statute.

Some sweepstakes casino operators have taken an adaptation approach along those lines in other U.S. states, removing players’ access to one of the two currencies that players may use to claim sweepstakes prizes while still allowing people to purchase the other currency, which is irredeemable for prizes. However, such systems are likely far less lucrative for the websites.

Another popular approach has been to simply stop doing business in U.S. states with sweepstakes casino bans altogether. The companies behind some sweepstakes casino websites have already done so in response to cease-and-desist demands from gaming regulators in Louisiana.

A final and far riskier option in light of the possible racketeering charges would be to proceed and test the resolve of prosecutors in Louisiana to actually enforce the potential laws. Racketeering convictions in Louisiana have maximum penalties of up to 50 years in prison and/or fines of up to $1 million.

Those only become a significant threat if both HB 53 and HB 883 become law. There is reason to believe that may not prove to be the case.

Landry’s approval of HB 53 and HB 883 isn't a foregone conclusion

The Louisiana legislature also sent Landry a bill banning sweepstakes casinos in 2025, albeit with drastically different language. Landry vetoed the bill, saying that he felt it was unnecessary and existing statutes already banned the games.

The legislature did not attempt to override Landry’s veto, and the state’s gaming regulatory body issued cessation demands to many sweepstakes casino operators shortly thereafter. The Louisiana attorney general also supported Landry in giving her opinion that current state law does indeed ban sweepstakes casino sites according to her interpretation.

Landry may apply that logic again with HB 53 and HB 883 in 2026, although the bills approach the problem from a different angle. At the very least, the legislature has given him another chance to affect an explicit sweepstakes casino ban with HB 53 and HB 883.

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