Louisiana legislators have pre-filed a bill planning to include illegal activities related to lottery-style gambling under the anti-Racketeering law. This move is an enforcement upgrade targeting such violations after last year's governor vetoed related bans and regulatory bodies issued multiple cease orders, aiming to increase penalties and provide prosecutors with broader accountability tools. The state legislature will convene on March 9, 2026, and this bill (House Bill No. 53) will be a focal point of discussion. Related US gambling regulatory policies and compliance cases can be referenced on the PASA official website.
Core of the Bill: No New Bans, Included as a Felony
House Bill No. 53 does not create new prohibitive measures but strengthens enforcement by amending existing laws:
Core adjustment: Adds existing gambling crimes (including computer gambling, electronic lottery gambling, etc.) as "predicate offenses" under the Racketeering law;
Coverage: Also includes general gambling violations, illegal betting, and related crimes;
Enforcement advantage: Allows prosecutors to file cases as "corporate crimes" rather than just isolated gambling violations, enabling conspiracy charges, expanded investigations, and asset recovery;
Extended accountability: Industry observers note that this adjustment poses greater legal risks to operators, suppliers, affiliates, and payment partners.
Background of the Bill: Post-Veto Regulation Already in Place
The introduction of this bill stems from last year's policy disputes and subsequent regulatory actions, logically connected:
2025 veto: The Louisiana legislature initially passed a lottery-style gambling ban, but Governor Jeff Landry vetoed it in June, stating existing laws already prohibit such activities and the state gambling control board has sufficient regulatory authority;
Post-veto enforcement upgrade: Regulatory bodies immediately took action, issuing over 40 cease orders in collaboration with the state police gambling enforcement department, demanding market withdrawal;
Attorney General's stance: In July, State Attorney General Liz Murrell issued a legal opinion clarifying that online lottery-style casinos using dual currency or promotional rewards violate state law, constituting illegal gambling and computer gambling.
Regulatory Impact and Industry Influence: Many Brands Exit or Transform
A series of regulatory actions have had significant effects, changing the industry landscape:
Brand response: Over 40 major lottery-style gambling brands either exited the Louisiana market or transformed into cashless, entertainment-only operations;
Market purification: Through a combination of administrative orders and legal definitions, short-term effective containment of gray-area lottery-style gambling activities laid a practical foundation for advancing the bill.
Industry Trend: Tightening Existing Regulations Becomes Mainstream in Gambling Supervision
Louisiana's actions reflect the overall shift in US state-level gambling policies for 2026:
Policy logic: Legislators no longer rely solely on traditional bans but prefer to amend criminal laws, strengthen enforcement powers, and improve consumer protection regulations;
Core idea: Utilizing existing mature legal mechanisms to specifically address regulatory challenges of gray-area products like lottery-style gambling, rather than creating new specialized bans;
Exemplary significance: This bill exemplifies this trend by incorporating gambling violations into the stricter anti-Racketeering law, significantly enhancing enforcement deterrence.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
