Casinos in Louisiana
Casinos in Louisiana are widely recognized as some of the most gambling-friendly casinos, at least by southern standards. Consequently, many casino enthusiasts from Texas and Arkansas come to Louisiana to play in it Native American casinos and racetrack casinos. In addition, Louisiana is quite famous for its riverboat casinos, which allow the gamblers to enjoy their hobby while sailing on the Mississippi. Unfortunately, Louisiana doesn’t have any regulations that would allow for intrastate online casino gambling, which means that Louisiana residents who enjoy playing online casino games are limited to offshore sites.
Louisiana Gambling Laws
Gambling is covered by Louisiana Revised Statutes, Title 14 – Offenses Affecting General Morality. The legal age to gamble within the borders of Louisiana is 18, but local casinos refuse to accept players who are younger than 21. Social gaming is allowed in private as long as nobody profits from the games, but unfortunately online gambling is explicitly prohibited by the regulations pertaining to gambling by computer. Even worse, individual online gamblers face a potential prison sentence of up to six months:
“D. Whoever commits the crime of gambling by computer shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.”
Despite the fact that no online casino players have been prosecuted so far, there’s simply no denying the fact that playing online casino games in Louisiana can get rather risky.
Online Casinos
Louisiana has not licensed, intrastate online casinos, so online gambling enthusiasts are pretty much forced to break the law or pursue their hobby elsewhere. Despite the stringent regulations, offshore casino sites still accept Louisiana residents, which means that many people simply play at those casinos without knowing that their online activities are actually illegal. Most of those sites offer rather exciting bonuses and give you a shot at winning life-changing jackpots, so it should come as no surprise that the number of online casino enthusiasts is growing and the law isn’t really enforced against individual players.
Offshore Casino Sites That Accept Louisiana Players
Even though Louisiana regulations prohibit residents of the state from playing at offshore sites, most USA online casinos still accept Louisiana players. Those sites are usually powered by Real Time Gaming software, but some of them offer additional real online slots or table games from other developers.
Louisiana residents who play at offshore casinos usually fund their accounts using credit card payments due to the fact that none of those sites support e–wallet services when dealing with US-based players. Another popular method is to use a Western Union or Money Gram money order. Withdrawals are usually handled via a bank wire transfer or a check by courier, but customers who have already deposited via a money order may be allowed to request a cash out using this method.
Developing Legal Scenarios
Despite the strict regulations, Louisiana lawmakers aren’t completely hostile towards the idea of allowing online gambling companies to offer their products to Louisiana residents. Louisiana Rep. Mike Huval has already proposed a plan that’d require legislators to assess the feasibility of authorizing online gambling in Louisiana. All things considered, while it is fairly unlikely that the state will legalize igaming by the end of 2014, it is quite possible for an online casino bill to be passed next year.
