Prop Bets in Louisiana Will Remain After Concerns Raised About Lost Tax Revenue

Posted on: April 2, 2026, 05:53h. 

Last updated on: April 2, 2026, 05:53h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Prop bets on pro sports are staying in Louisiana
  • Lawmakers learned that the state benefits greatly from tax revenue generated by props
  • Louisiana is home to retail and online sports betting

Lawmakers in Louisiana have opted not to continue with legislation that would have prohibited proposition bets, commonly called prop bets, on professional sports.

Louisiana college player prop sports betting
Tight end Nick Storz celebrates during an LSU Tigers football game. Sports bettors in Louisiana cannot make prop bets on college sports, but can on pro games. (Image: LSU Athletics)

Senate Bill 354 was introduced in February by state Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews (D-Monroe). The bill sought to remove prop bets from the list of accepted professional sports wagers in the Bayou State. Prop bets involving college athletes are prohibited.

SB354 defined prop bets as a “side wager on a part of a sport or athletic event that does not concern the final outcome of the sport or athletic event.” The statute also sought to exclude “sports micro-bets,” or prop wagers that are live.

This week, Jackson-Andrews withdrew SB354 after it was considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The state senator rescinded the bill after the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) reported that eliminating prop bets from the state’s online and retail sports betting market would lead to considerable tax losses.

Prop Bets Are Big Business 

While prop bets are typically small wagers, the bets add up for the books. Prop bets are extraordinarily profitable, as they allow oddsmakers to offer hundreds or even thousands of in-game wagers and player-specific bets on each game and contest.

The LGCB said that by removing pro prop bets, the state’s tax benefit from sports betting would decline annually by an estimated $37.8 million. The state’s General Fund would incur the largest hit, around $20.6 million a year.

Louisiana sports betting revenue additionally supports the SPORT Fund, money that’s used to benefit college athletics. The SPORT Fund would lose about $9.5 million a year. Local cities that benefit from sports betting would see about $3.8 million fewer allocations, and the state’s Compulsive & Problem Gambling Fund would be shorted over $1 million.

Jackson-Andrews conceded that she underestimated the state tax losses her bill would create.

The NCAA has been lobbying state lawmakers and gaming regulators across the country to ban prop bets involving college sports. The LGCB complied with Baker and the NCAA’s plea and banned college prop bets in August 2024.

NCAA President Charlie Baker has been an outspoken critic of player-specific wagers, claiming that the betting has led to players being harassed online and in-person by disgruntled gamblers.

It’s definitely where most of the really aggressive harassment directed at kids is coming from. And the second thing is the pressure that the underperforming prop bets put on young people. I don’t think that’s something that’s fully understood,” Baker said during an interview with Yahoo! Sports last December.

Sweepstakes Bill

In other gaming legislation in Louisiana, House Bill 53, which seeks to classify operating an online sweepstakes casino as a racketeering felony offense, passed the House before the March 31 crossover day. The legislation rests with the Senate Judiciary Committee. Gov. Jeff Landry (R) vetoed a bill in June 2025 that sought to ban sweepstakes gaming on claims that state laws already prohibit their operations.