The board unanimously voted to give the go-ahead for the Flutter Entertainment-owned company to run fantasy sports contests in Louisiana, making it the 47th US jurisdiction in which FanDuel’s fantasy services are available.
With this announcement, Louisiana players now have access to content from two companies as FanDuel becomes the second operator to offer fantasy sports betting in the Bayou State, joining its rival DraftKings, which was given the greenlight in July.
This came after an arduous implementation process following an overwhelming consensus from voters to legalise fantasy sports betting in 2018.
However, there are several restrictions on Louisiana’s fantasy sports; players must be 21 years old or more and the games are permitted only in parishes where voters authorised it.
“It expands options for fantasy sports fans, which I think is important moving forward,” commented LGCB Chairman Ronnie Johns.
While fantasy content goes live in Louisiana, the same cannot be said for traditional sports betting, with the state’s regulator still processing applications.
Voters from 55 out of the state’s 64 parishes elected to legalise sports betting last November, though their decision has yet to come into effect.
However, the LGCB gave a prospective date of 1 November 2021 for when it expects operators to receive sports betting licences which none currently do, with the notable exception of Paragon Casino Resort owned by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe, which has been taking wagers since 6 October.
At the time, Johns said: “I understand the public wants this very badly, and we’re working overtime. But we’ve got to dot our I’s and cross our T’s.”
