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State database · LA · verified 2026-10-03

Sweepstakes laws in Louisiana

Since August 1, 2026, Louisiana's gambling-by-computer law (Act 182 of 2026) covers online dual-currency games that simulate gambling; the gaming board sent cease-and-desist letters in 2025.

Disclosure: this site's publisher, Luck Incorporated LLC, operates Chance Infinite, one of the apps in these databases. Its entry is built from its own documents under the same rules as every other entry. This is reference information, not legal advice; official rules and statutes control.

Last verified October 3, 2026. On October 16, 2026 an automated check re-opened 16 of its 17 sources and found no change. Every line below cites a document; numbers in brackets point to the source list.

Status
Law in force
Sweepstakes-casino law
HB 883 (Act 182 of the 2026 Regular Session), effective August 1, 2026; HB 53 (Act 48 of the 2026 Regular Session), effective August 1, 2026
Enforcement actions on record
2
Ranked free apps open to residents
5 of 6
Sweepstakes-casino brands and Louisiana
17 exclude it, 1 limits it, of 18 tracked

The law

HB 883 (Act 182 of the 2026 Regular Session)

Cited as La. R.S. 14:90.3; La. R.S. 27:19.1 and 27:19.2; enacted May 15, 2026 (signed by the governor; final passage 99 to 0 in the House and 35 to 0 in the Senate); effective August 1, 2026. [S1]

Adds to the crime of gambling by computer any internet or mobile game, contest or promotion that uses a dual-currency system the player can exchange for a prize, cash or cash equivalents, or a chance to win one, and simulates any form of gambling. Per the legislature's resume digest (S3), it raises the maximum fine for offering gambling by computer from $20,000 to $100,000 (up to five years, with or without hard labor); makes knowing support or facilitation by platform providers, geolocation providers, gaming content suppliers, promoters, endorsers and media affiliates punishable by a fine of up to $20,000, up to five years, or both, with the fine doubled where the support or facilitation involves a person under 21 (Act text, S1); bars merchant payment processors from knowingly processing such transactions; treats each wager as a separate violation; and requires forfeiture of profits. New R.S. 27:19.1 lets the Attorney General or the Gaming Control Board chairman send cease-and-desist notices giving ten days to stop, requires the Attorney General to keep a public list of notices, and R.S. 27:19.2 authorizes injunctions, including ex parte injunctions against platform providers and payment processors.

“utilizes a dual-currency system of payment allowing the player to exchange the currency for any prize or award, cash, or cash equivalents”

Players: R.S. 14:90.3(D) as amended reads: "Any client, as defined by this Section, who 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." A client is defined as anyone physically located in Louisiana using a computer to access a computer server to make gambling by computer wagers. We draw no conclusion about how this applies to any particular player.

HB 53 (Act 48 of the 2026 Regular Session)

Cited as La. R.S. 15:1352(A)(89) through (95); enacted May 11, 2026 (signed by the governor; final passage 87 to 11 in the House and 29 to 7 in the Senate); effective August 1, 2026. [S5]

Adds seven offenses to the list of crimes that count as racketeering activity under Louisiana's racketeering law: gambling (R.S. 14:90), gambling in public (14:90.2), gambling by computer (14:90.3), gambling or wagering at cockfights (14:90.6), gambling by electronic sweepstakes device (14:90.7), unlawful wagering by a prohibited player (14:90.8) and bribery of sports participants (14:118.1). The Act itself does not state penalties.

“to add certain gambling crimes as predicate offenses for racketeering activity”

Bills

  • SB 181 (2025 Regular Session): vetoed by the governor, June 12, 2025. [S7]
    What the bill does

    Would have added internet and mobile games that use a dual-currency system redeemable for prizes, cash or cash equivalents and simulate gambling to the crime of gambling by computer, stated that they are not legal sweepstakes, raised the operator fine to between $10,000 and $100,000 per occurrence, and made violations an unfair trade practice (resume digest, S9). It passed the Senate 39 to 0 and the House 99 to 0, and the Senate concurred in House amendments 38 to 0. The governor's veto letter of June 12, 2025 (S8) said the board was "already taking active steps to combat illegal gambling in Louisiana, especially against illegal offshore wagering and illegal online sweepstakes companies operating in Louisiana" and called the bill "a solution in search of a problem".

  • HB 883 (2026 Regular Session): enacted as Act 182 (see laws), May 15, 2026. Prefiled February 27, 2026; passed the House 99 to 0 on April 14 and the Senate 35 to 0 on May 12, 2026; signed May 15, 2026. [S2]
  • HB 53 (2026 Regular Session): enacted as Act 48 (see laws), May 11, 2026. Prefiled January 30, 2026; passed the House 87 to 11 on March 30 and the Senate 29 to 7 on April 27, 2026; signed May 11, 2026. [S6]

Enforcement

  • June 17, 2025, Louisiana Gaming Control Board: cease-and-desist letters (more than 40) against "offshore wagering platforms and online sweepstakes operators", per the board's release, which names only Harp Media B.V. d/b/a Bovada, the subject of an earlier order. A recipient list posted on the Attorney General's site (S11) has 42 numbered entries, some naming more than one company, among them VGW Holdings US, Inc., VGW Games, Ltd., and VGW Malta, Ltd.; Yellow Social Interactive Ltd.; Sweepstakes Limited; MW Services Limited d/b/a Wow Vegas; Blazesoft; and Social Gaming, LLC.. Status: issued. [S10]
    What the record says

    The board announced on June 17, 2025 that, in coordination with the Attorney General's Office and the State Police Gaming Enforcement Division, it had issued more than 40 cease-and-desist letters to offshore wagering platforms and online sweepstakes operators "whose business models have been found to circumvent Louisiana gaming laws and regulations". The release does not say which recipients are sweepstakes operators. The board's undated Illegal Operators page (S12), retrieved October 3, 2026, lists 41 names.

  • July 2, 2025, Louisiana Attorney General (Louisiana Department of Justice): formal attorney general opinion (Opinion 25-0083) against The opinion names no company; it addresses online businesses offering casino-style games through dual-currency systems.. Status: issued. [S13]
    What the record says

    Issued in answer to a June 18, 2025 request from State Senator Rick Edmonds. The headnote reads: "Online businesses offering casino style games utilizing dual-currency systems and purporting to be sweepstakes and/or social gaming constitute illegal gambling businesses and illegal gambling by computer." It cites La. R.S. 14:90, 14:90.3 and 51:1721 et seq., and its last page states that the Department of Justice, with the Gaming Control Board and State Police, "is empowered to pursue both criminal and civil enforcement actions to shut down such operations".

Rules for any sweepstakes in Louisiana

  • Gambling definition (La. R.S. 14:90(A)(1)(a)): Defines gambling as "the intentional conducting, or directly assisting in the conducting, as a business, of any game, contest, lottery, or contrivance whereby a person risks the loss of anything of value in order to realize a profit." [S15]
  • Prize offers tied to sales presentations (La. R.S. 51:1721): [S16]
    What the rule requires

    A written or verbal prize or gift offer that requires or invites the consumer to attend a sales presentation must disclose the exact prize and its cash value, all terms and conditions, the presentation requirement and the items offered for sale, and the prize must be delivered whether or not the consumer buys. The section does not apply where participants only complete and mail or deposit an entry blank and are not asked to attend a sales presentation.

Free sweepstakes apps open to Louisiana residents

Our ranked apps, by what each one's own official rules say about Louisiana. Chance Infinite is operated by this site's publisher.

AppOur rankLouisiana
Chance Infinite1, 81/100Open
Coinnect2, 71/100Excluded
Prizes by GAMEE3 (tied), 54/100Open
Winsome Rewards3 (tied), 54/100Open
PCH+5, 51/100Open (app listed unavailable)
PCH Lotto6, 48/100Open (app listed unavailable)

Sweepstakes casinos and Louisiana

What the 18 sweepstakes-casino brands in our database say about Louisiana in their own documents. These lists give no grade; some of these brands pay SweepstakeReport a commission through the links on their fact sheets. We do not judge whether any brand may operate in Louisiana, and documents change often.

179 casinos' terms exclude Louisiana: see which.

Regulator

Louisiana Gaming Control Board

Notes

Read the 3 research notes
  • Timeline check: our crackdown timeline gives HB 53 and HB 883 as signed May 11 and 15, 2026 and effective August 1, 2026. The bill histories agree (S2, S6). The timeline attributes the Gaming Control Board's mid-2025 letters and the Attorney General opinion to press reports; the board's June 17, 2025 release (S10), the recipient list (S11) and Opinion 25-0083 (S13) are now on file as primary sources.
  • The legislature's online text of La. R.S. 14:90.3, retrieved October 3, 2026, contains the dual-currency sentence and lists "Acts 2026, No. 182" in its history (S4).
  • An undated public alert from Attorney General Liz Murrill on the Attorney General's site (S14) says that "alleged sweepstakes or social gaming sites offering such games are operating illegally in Louisiana", in her words, and links the June 2025 recipient list and the board's release.

What we could not establish

  • R.S. 27:19.1(B), enacted by Act 182, requires the Attorney General to keep a public list of cease-and-desist notices issued under it. On the Attorney General pages we opened on 2026-10-03 (home page, Gaming Division page, article 287) we found only the June 2025 Gaming Control Board recipient list, not a list of notices issued under the new section.
  • Opinion 25-0083 is a scanned PDF with no text layer. On 2026-10-03 we read all seven pages from page images; we did not produce a full transcription.
  • The Attorney General's public alert (article 287) shows no date on the page.
  • We did not open the racketeering penalty sections connected to Act 48. Trade press reports penalties of up to 50 years and $1 million, which we have not verified against the statute.
  • We did not establish which recipients of the June 2025 letters stopped serving Louisiana, or whether any notice has been issued since August 1, 2026.

Common questions

Does Louisiana have a law on online sweepstakes casinos?

Yes. HB 883 (Act 182 of the 2026 Regular Session), cited as La. R.S. 14:90.3; La. R.S. 27:19.1 and 27:19.2, took effect August 1, 2026. HB 53 (Act 48 of the 2026 Regular Session), cited as La. R.S. 15:1352(A)(89) through (95), took effect August 1, 2026. This page quotes the text and links the statute.

Which ranked free sweepstakes apps accept Louisiana residents?

Per their own official rules, Chance Infinite, Prizes by GAMEE, Winsome Rewards, PCH+ and PCH Lotto accept residents of Louisiana, and Coinnect excludes it. Chance Infinite is operated by the publisher of this site.

Do sweepstakes casinos accept players in Louisiana?

Of the 18 sweepstakes casino brands in our database, 17 exclude Louisiana and 1 limit it in their own documents, last verified October 3, 2026. Documents change often, so read the current terms first.

Sources

  1. S1 Louisiana State Legislature, Act No. 182, 2026 Regular Session (HB 883, enrolled), retrieved October 3, 2026
  2. S2 Louisiana State Legislature, HB883, 2026 Regular Session, bill history, retrieved October 3, 2026
  3. S3 Louisiana State Legislature, Resume Digest, Act 182 (HB 883), retrieved October 3, 2026
  4. S4 Louisiana State Legislature, RS 14:90.3, Gambling by computer (current text), retrieved October 3, 2026
  5. S5 Louisiana State Legislature, Act No. 48, 2026 Regular Session (HB 53, enrolled), retrieved October 3, 2026
  6. S6 Louisiana State Legislature, HB53, 2026 Regular Session, bill history, retrieved October 3, 2026
  7. S7 Louisiana State Legislature, SB181, 2025 Regular Session, bill history, retrieved October 3, 2026
  8. S8 Office of the Governor of Louisiana (filed with the legislature), Veto message, Senate Bill 181 of the 2025 Regular Session (June 12, 2025), retrieved October 3, 2026
  9. S9 Louisiana State Legislature, Resume Digest, SB 181 (2025 Regular Session), retrieved October 3, 2026
  10. S10 Louisiana Gaming Control Board, Louisiana Gaming Control Board Takes Strong Action Against Illegal Offshore Wagering and Online Sweepstakes Gaming (June 17, 2025), retrieved October 3, 2026
  11. S11 Louisiana Office of the Attorney General (file hosted with article 287), Louisiana Gaming Control Board, List of Operators Issued Cease-and-Desist Letters, retrieved October 3, 2026
  12. S12 Louisiana Gaming Control Board, Illegal Operators, retrieved October 3, 2026
  13. S13 Louisiana Office of the Attorney General, Opinion 25-0083 (July 2, 2025), retrieved October 3, 2026
  14. S14 Louisiana Office of the Attorney General, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill Alerts Public to Illegal Online Casino Gambling (article 287, undated), retrieved October 3, 2026
  15. S15 Louisiana State Legislature, RS 14:90, Gambling, retrieved October 3, 2026
  16. S16 Louisiana State Legislature, RS 51:1721, Promotional contests; prerequisites for lawful promotion, retrieved October 3, 2026
  17. S17 Louisiana Office of the Attorney General, Gaming Division, retrieved October 3, 2026

Related: All 50 states and DC · The crackdown timeline · The app database