Louisiana has no state-licensed online casinos. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) licenses riverboat, land-based and racetrack casinos, video poker and online sports betting, but no law authorizes real-money online casino games, and none of the bills filed in 2026 tried to change that. Playing casino games online is technically “gambling by computer” under La. R.S. 14:90.3, and since August 1, 2026 (Act 182) sweepstakes casinos fall under the same statute.
What Louisiana players actually do is use offshore casinos that still accept the state, and that is where legitimacy matters. Bovada stopped taking Louisiana players in 2024 after an LGCB cease-and-desist order. Ignition Casino, Slots.lv and Café Casino still accept Louisiana as of September 28, 2026. None of them is licensed by Louisiana; each one is licensed offshore, and we deposited, passed KYC and withdrew at every site before scoring it. The method is public: How We Determine Legitimacy.
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Every site below went through our 9-step test: real deposit, identity verification and a withdrawal before we scored it. “Accepts Louisiana” means Louisiana is absent from the operator’s own published list of restricted states, checked on September 28, 2026.
| Casino | Accepts Louisiana? | Licence (verified) | Casino welcome bonus | Payout methods | Read review | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ignition Casino | Yes – LA not on its restricted list (DE, MD, NV, NJ, NY) | Anjouan Gaming Board, Union of the Comoros (Arachis Media Ltd, reg. 11548) | 300% up to $3,000 (crypto) | Crypto, cards, vouchers | Ignition Casino Review | Visit |
| Slots.lv | Yes – LA not on its restricted list (DE, MD, NV, NJ, NY) | Curaçao Gaming Authority OGL/2024/670/0711 (Arbol Media B.V.) | 200% up to $3,000 (crypto) | Crypto, cards | Slots.lv Review | Visit |
| Café Casino | Yes – LA not on its restricted list (DE, MD, NV, NJ, NY) | Curaçao Gaming Authority OGL/2024/670/0711 (Arbol Media B.V.) | 300% up to $2,000 (crypto) | Crypto, cards | Café Casino Review | Visit |
| Bovada | No – blocked Louisiana after the LGCB cease-and-desist order of Aug 6, 2024 | Union of the Comoros (Harp Media B.V.) | Not available to LA players | Crypto, cards | Bovada Review | — |
| BetOnline | Not confirmed – operator publishes no US state list | Panama Gaming Control Board (Blue High House S.A.) | Not verified for LA | Crypto, cards | BetOnline Review | — |
| BetUS | Not confirmed – no state list and no published licence | None published | Not verified for LA | Crypto, cards | BetUS Review | — |
| Super Slots | Not confirmed – terms page unavailable at check time | None published | Not verified for LA | Crypto, cards | Super Slots Review | — |
When we choose the best online casinos for people who live in Louisiana, we keep in mind the specific needs that state residents might have.
Naturally, we start by making sure the casino is available in Louisiana and then, we consider the following factors.
We do not rank casinos we have not tested. For every site on this page we opened an account, deposited real money, completed identity verification and requested a withdrawal, then checked the licence the operator claims against the regulator that issued it and against the state’s own enforcement record. Bovada is the clearest example of why that matters: it was a top pick on this page until the LGCB ordered it to stop serving Louisiana in August 2024, and it complied. Operators that publish neither a licence number nor a restricted-states list (BetUS, Super Slots) stay out of our Louisiana recommendations until they do. The full process is on How We Determine Legitimacy; the sites that failed it are on the Blacklisted Casinos page, and the state-by-state legal picture is in Offshore Online Casinos in the US: Legal Status by State; every tested site is listed under Gambling Site Reviews.
The Louisiana State Legislature doesn’t permit online casinos to operate from within the state and there is no regulatory structure for such operations. Some of the state’s physical casinos do provide online casino games, but they’re free games and do not offer real money prizes.
However, there are plenty of online casinos available to Louisiana residents. These offshore sites are licensed in another location and legally operate from within that jurisdiction. As long as they accept Louisiana players, you can indeed gamble with them because there’s no law against using their services.
State-regulated online casinos do not exist in Louisiana, and playing at an offshore one is technically a crime, though enforcement targets operators, not players. Two statutes matter. La. R.S. 14:90 defines gambling as conducting a game of chance as a business; a simple violation carries a fine of up to $500 and/or up to six months in jail. La. R.S. 14:90.3, “gambling by computer”, covers the online side: the player (“client”) faces the same $500/six-month ceiling, while operators face fines up to $100,000 and up to five years, and the statute exempts licensed riverboat and land-based gaming, the lottery, regulated sports wagering, fantasy sports (R.S. 27:302) and pari-mutuel wagering. We found no reported prosecution of an individual Louisiana player for using an offshore casino; the state’s playbook is cease-and-desist letters to operators and, since 2026, pressure on payment processors.
That playbook has teeth. On August 6, 2024 the LGCB ordered Bovada to stop serving Louisiana, and Bovada added the state to its restricted list. On June 17, 2025 the Board announced more than 40 additional cease-and-desist letters to offshore wagering platforms and online sweepstakes operators. Sweepstakes casinos were the 2025–2026 battleground: Governor Landry vetoed SB 181, a sweepstakes ban, on June 13, 2025, Attorney General Liz Murrill issued an opinion in July 2025 saying sweepstakes casinos already violate 14:90 and 14:90.3, and in May 2026 the legislature passed HB 883 (Act 182, 99–0 and 35–0) amending 14:90.3 to cover dual-currency games and giving the AG cease-and-desist power, plus HB 53 (Act 48) adding computer gambling to the Racketeering Act. Both took effect August 1, 2026. We track every state’s letters on State Cease-and-Desist Letters to Offshore Casinos.
The legal online options are narrow: sports betting has been live since January 2022 in the 55 of 64 parishes that approved it in the 2020 referendum, daily fantasy sports is licensed under R.S. 27:301, and online horse racing wagering is exempt as pari-mutuel. The Louisiana Lottery sells only at retail; the iLottery bills filed in 2026 (HB 643, SB 119) had not become law when we checked. There is no online poker or online casino authorization, and no bill to create one.
Louisiana currently provides residents with a wide range of legal gambling options. Here is a breakdown of what’s available to you within the state if you want to gamble.
| Riverboat and land-based casinos | Legal – licensed by the LGCB (24 casinos, incl. Harrah’s New Orleans) |
| Tribal casinos | Legal – Coushatta, Chitimacha, Tunica-Biloxi, Jena Choctaw |
| Racetracks and racino slots | Legal – four racinos |
| Video poker | Legal – licensed truck stops, bars and restaurants |
| Louisiana Lottery | Legal at retail only – no online sales (iLottery bills HB 643 / SB 119 pending) |
| Online sports betting | Legal since Jan 2022 in 55 of 64 parishes |
| Daily fantasy sports | Legal – licensed under La. R.S. 27:301 |
| Online horse racing betting | Legal – pari-mutuel exemption |
| Online casinos | Not regulated by the state – offshore only, at the player’s own risk |
| Online poker | Not regulated by the state – offshore only |
| Sweepstakes casinos | Illegal since Aug 1, 2026 (Act 182 / HB 883) |
| Gambling age | 21 for casinos, sports betting and lottery; 18 for pari-mutuel horse racing |
Louisiana once featured riverboat casinos, which earned the name because they were only legal if they actually were located on the water surrounding the state. But relaxed laws now allow casinos to be further inland, leading to over 50 total casinos in the state, including five operated by Indian tribes.
Here are the five land-based casinos in the state we like the most.
Bally’s Shreveport stands out for slot enthusiasts with over 1,100 slot machines on the casino floor. Poker players will enjoy daily promotions such as Splash the Pot and Steel Wheel 24/7. Table games include unique options like Mississippi Stud and Mini-Baccarat.
Coushatta, owned and operated by the Coushatta Tribe, is the largest of the state’s tribal casinos. Features include a massive bingo hall with over 300 seats. With over 2,500 slots and table games 20X Odds Craps and Flop Poker, this casino features an excellent variety of options for gamblers.
This casino located in the state’s most famous city features 115,000 square feet of gambling space. The poker room received the ultimate stamp of approval in that it features the World Series of Poker brand. It also features unique game varieties such as Face Up Pai Gow and Criss Cross Poker.
L’Auberge supplements its 1,400 slot machines with a strong selection of video poker and electronic table games. Blackjack lovers can find variations like Blazing 7’s and Lucky Ladies to spice up the action. And Roll to Win Craps allows players to see their dice on an LED screen featuring exciting graphics.
This casino represents one of the most popular brands in the entertainment business. Margaritaville’s 1,200 slot machines pay out an average of $90 million to customers every month, according to the casino’s website. They also feature 50 tables, with games such as Heads Up Hold’Em and Cajun Stud.
How did Louisiana reach the point it now holds in terms of casino gambling options? And what could the future hold for the state? Read on to find out.
The casino boom in Louisiana will likely continue in the near future. Now that the sailing requirement for water-based casinos has been removed and the casinos can be built on land, it opens up the floodgates for developers to step in and plan new establishments. Unfortunately, there are no signs that online casinos operating from the state will be available soon.
On the bright side, sports betting has already been legalized, and there aren’t too many forms of gambling that don’t already legally exist in the state. Options like fixed-odds horse racing betting may even be part of the menu, adding even more value for gamblers in search of variety.
The 2026 session tightened rather than loosened the rules. Act 182 (HB 883) and Act 48 (HB 53), both effective August 1, 2026, aimed squarely at sweepstakes casinos and the payment companies that serve them, and the Attorney General now has direct cease-and-desist authority. HB 72 would let the nine parishes that voted against sports betting hold a new referendum, and HB 643 and SB 119 would let the Louisiana Lottery sell online; none of those had passed when we checked on September 28, 2026. No legislator has filed an online casino bill, and with 24 casinos, four racinos and a large video-poker industry lobbying to protect in-person revenue, we do not expect one before 2027. For Louisiana players that means the practical question stays the same: which offshore sites still accept the state, and which of those actually pay. The table above answers the first part; Fast Payout Online Casinos answers the second.
Everyone looking to gamble with real money must be smart about it. Gambling addiction can be damaging to both the individuals in the midst of it and the families and communities connected to them.
It’s always wise to develop a gambling budget that you stick to no matter what. You should also learn the warning signs of gambling addiction and how to spot them. Finally, you should know the resources available to you within the state of Louisiana, such as the Louisiana Association on Problem Gambling and the Louisiana Chapter of the National Council on Problem Gambling.
If you want to dig a little deeper on how to gamble responsibly, we can help. Check out our page on the topic, which includes information on how to spot problem gambling signs and tips on what to avoid.
Louisiana runs its own Problem Gambling Helpline, 1-877-770-STOP (1-877-770-7867), listed by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, and the national line 1-800-GAMBLER is available around the clock. Louisiana’s self-exclusion program covers state-licensed casinos and sportsbooks but not offshore sites, so if you play offshore, use the deposit and loss limits the operator offers and treat every deposit as money already spent. Offshore casinos are not licensed in Louisiana, which means there is no state regulator to complain to if a withdrawal stalls; that is the whole reason we test withdrawals before recommending anything. More on limits, warning signs and support on our Responsible Gambling page.