St. Mary gets yea or nay vote on sports gambling

In an already full ballot for the Nov. 3 election, St. Mary voters will have one other decision to make: legalizing sports betting in their individual parishes.
The proposition will be on the ballot after it was introduced during the 2020 legislative session by Sen. Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, as Senate Bill 130 and became law as Act 215. In the proposition, voters in each of the state’s 64 parishes will determine whether they want to legalize sports wagering in their individual parishes.
Locally, two of three legislators approved the measure as it worked its way through state government. Rep. Vincent St. Blanc, R-Franklin, voted for the bill, while Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Houma, opposed it. In the state Senate, it passed by a 72-23 vote with Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, voting for it.
Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming, the parent company of the Amelia Belle, supports the measure.
“We think that introducing sports betting would be a tremendous opportunity not only for the state’s gaming industry but also for the entire state, the opportunity to introduce a new amenity at the state’s casinos that could potentially draw in new customers not only from across Louisiana but potentially from outside the state that would then come to the state to wager on sports,” Boyd Gaming spokesperson David Strow said.
If sports betting is approved, it will be regulated by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.
According to the Public Affairs Research Council, or PAR, online fantasy sports contests in parishes that approved it are the only type of sports wagering that can occur in Louisiana.
If this sports wagering, which includes in-person and online wagering, is approved, it will not go into effect until laws and regulations are passed. If approved, the wagering will be regulated by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.
PAR gave the pros and cons of passing the proposition.
In its argument for the proposition, PAR cited a consultant’s study for the state economic development department that said the measure’s passage could bring the state up to $330 million in additional revenue per year.
“Those business profits could generate new casino jobs and up to about $50 million annually in tax revenue,” the research council wrote.
However, in its argument against the measure, PAR said that “claims of increased revenue and beneficial business associated with gambling are often overstated.”
Strow said Boyd Gaming, which has opened sports books at their properties in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi and Pennsylvania and is looking to do so at five Louisiana casinos if the proposition passes in those parishes, has seen success.
“In every state that we’ve introduced sports betting, we’ve seen big results,” he said.
Strow said that sports betting draws in more customers to the casinos who participate in other activities, too.
“This is a proven moneymaker not only for the industry but also for the state that would benefit from the additional tax revenues coming in from legalized sports betting in the state,” he said.
PAR said Louisiana is the national leader in regards to the many different types of gambling allowed, and by passing this proposition, it would allow digital sports betting to expand and reach homes and mobile devices.
The research council also cited a Wallethub analysis that said Louisiana ranks No. 5 in the “most gambling addictive” states.