Playing sweepstakes casinos from Louisiana isn’t worth the trouble. The state already made them illegal in 2025, and the new bills Governor Jeff Landry signed in May 2026 add even tougher penalties for operators, starting this August 1. The major brands cleared out the moment he signed. Any site still letting you sign up is operating outside the law.
We mapped out what you can legally play instead, what to do if you’ve still got an old account, and the long list of brands that walked.
Nope, they are very much the opposite. Louisiana decided to treat operators of sweepstakes casinos like organized crime. The state can now pursue them under its racketeering law, the kind built to dismantle criminal enterprises. Predictably, most operators left.
Governor Jeff Landry signed two bills in mid-May 2026, both effective August 1. One widened what counts as illegal online gambling (HB 883). The other (HB 53) added sweepstakes offenses to the racketeering statute, the real hammer, because it doesn’t stop at the sites. Payment companies, marketers, and even the software makers behind these games can be charged, too.
Our first table breaks the law down in plain words, and the second tells you exactly where you stand as a player.
| Are sweepstakes casinos illegal in Louisiana? | Yes. Existing law already prohibits them; Louisiana Revised Statutes § 14 :90.3 (gambling by computer), reinforced by a July 2025 Attorney General opinion. Two 2026 laws, HB 883 and HB 53, take effect August 1, 2026 and tighten this further.. |
| Why is Louisiana different from other banned states? | It’s the only state where sweepstakes casinos can be prosecuted as racketeering. HB 53 (signed May 2026) added them to Louisiana’s RICO statute, reaching operators, payment processors, affiliates, software providers, and media partners. |
| What’s the penalty for operators? | Two layers. HB 883: up to $40,000 and 5 years in prison, with each wager a separate violation. HB 53: charged as racketeering, up to 50 years at hard labor and $1 million in fines. Liability reaches payment processors, affiliates, software providers, and media partners. |
| Who enforces it? | A three-agency coalition: the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (Chair Christopher B. Hebert), the Attorney General’s Office (Liz Murrill), and the Louisiana State Police Gaming Division. |
| What can I legally play in Louisiana? | 15 commercial casinos, four tribal casinos, parimutuel horse racing, video poker in bars and restaurants, the Louisiana Lottery, online and retail sports betting (since 2022), and daily fantasy sports. No online casinos. |
| Can I sign up to a sweepstakes site in Louisiana? | Mostly no. Major brands block Louisiana at signup. Sites that let you in violate Louisiana law and, since May 2026, face racketeering charges. |
| Will I get in trouble as a player? | No. Louisiana’s sweepstakes statutes target operators. There’s no statutory ground in Louisiana to charge a player. |
| What about an old account if I had one? | Most operators required Louisiana players to redeem balances during their 2025-2026 exit. Contact the operator directly through their support page if you have an unredeemed balance. |
| Will a VPN help? | No. Sites verify your location at every login and close accounts that try to mask it. |
| Do I owe taxes on winnings from before Louisiana’s enforcement? | Yes, federal and state. Tax law treats past sweepstakes winnings as taxable income. Report filed on Schedule 1; Louisiana taxes at the state’s 3% flat income tax rate (2026). |
Operators who officially left Louisiana
Compare Louisiana’s stance on sweepstakes with those of neighboring states.
Because racketeering treats a sweepstakes site as organized crime, not a licensing slip. HB 53, signed in May 2026, added sweepstakes to Louisiana’s racketeering statute, the only state to do so. That framing lets prosecutors pursue the entire operation as a criminal enterprise. It also reaches far past the casino itself, into the network that keeps it running. So Louisiana did not just ban sweepstakes; it turned running one into a racketeering case.
No, the racketeering reaches the business, not the player. Louisiana’s sweepstakes laws, including the 2026 HB 53, are written against operators and the networks behind them. No commission charges a person for simply playing. So the heavy word “racketeering” describes the case against the site, not against you. Your only real concern as a player is recovering a balance before a site exits, not a criminal charge.
This is because the second effort went much further than the first. Landry vetoed SB 181 in June 2025, arguing existing law and LGCB enforcement already did the job. By 2026, the approach had hardened, and he signed HB 53 and HB 883 instead. Those two did not just restore a ban; they added racketeering exposure and a wider definition of illegal gambling. So, Landry didn’t change his mind about banning sweepstakes; he backed a tougher tool to do it.
Because each layer closes a gap the others might leave. The AG’s July 2025 opinion read existing law as already banning sweepstakes, giving enforcement an immediate footing. Older statutes, like RS 14:90.7, supplied the original legal basis beneath it. Then, HB 53 and HB 883 in 2026 added racketeering and a broader definition on top. So, Louisiana built four overlapping grounds, leaving an operator little room to argue the ban does not reach it.
