Casinos in Louisiana

All the information you need about casinos in Louisiana

As a resident, or visitor, of Louisiana, there are varied options available to you when considering gambling. There are many Riverboat Cruises available, as well as a handful of Native American and Racinos to choose from. In fact, the state of Louisiana earns more than $2 million from direct revenue of casinos per year. As the people of Louisiana proved themselves to be keen gamblers, the state reevaluated and in the 1990’s it was legalized and authorized alongside other states such as Nevada.

Here are some important features to point out when speaking of casinos in Louisiana:

• Only people of 20 years and up can join the casinos
• Various types of Louisiana casinos have different licenses
• Many laws and other restrictions have been imposed to ensure there is no illegal gambling
• Gambling should only be conducted in the recreational surroundings

As well as many residents enjoying taking to the tables and slots, you’ll also find lots of tourists visiting Louisiana to take in the stunning landscapes as well as having a little dabble in the casinos.

When you want to register with a Louisiana casino, you should ensure:

• The casino should be properly licensed.
• Bonuses and other rewards should be offered to the registrants.
• Easy methods for payment should be available.
• Accumulation of points and withdrawal of the earnings have to be easy processes.
• It is very important that you do a thorough research about the casino that you want to register and play.
• You need to play the games that have better chances of winning initially till you gain confidence.
• You should know that the games played in the casinos are based on randomness.
• Take a break whenever you feel that your concentration is reducing.
• Never drink when playing.

Top Louisiana Casinos and the Biggest Casino City in Louisiana

Louisiana has a total of 27 casinos and pari-mutuel facilities at your disposal which are spread out across 15 cities throughout the state. The largest casino in Louisiana is Grand Casino Coushatta, which boasts over 3,000 machines and over 80 table games. The second largest gaming establishment in the state is Harrah’s New Orleans Casino, which has near to 2,500 machines and more than 100 table game offerings. Find both of these popular casinos on Louisiana casinos map to gather more information.

Louisiana Gambling Laws

Louisiana has always been a fairly liberal state, and this is evident in its gambling industry. In fact, this state was the fourth one to give a go signal to riverboat casino gambling. As for now, the state laws also require casino gambling machines to be programmed to pay back a floor of up to 80% and a ceiling of 99.9%. Gambling machines in other places are required to return 80% at the minimum and 94% at the maximum. Jackpots worth $1,200 or more will be taxed 6% for the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Getting that amount refunded is possible. All one needs to do is to file a state income tax return. Depending on these details, the whole amount or part of it may be refunded. This threshold is also applicable to any and all cash prizes won in casino drawings and tournaments.

Riverboat Casinos

The casino culture in Louisiana mostly revolves around the 15 riverboat casinos that are allowed according to Louisiana Riverboat Economic Development Gaming Control Act (1991). To be eligible for a state license, a riverboat must be paddle-wheel driven, be a replica of turn-of-the-century riverboats, and be opened 24 hours a day. Standard games like blackjack, craps, roulette, slots and video poker should also be offered. The most popular riverboat casinos are Treasure Chest Casino, L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles and Horseshoe Casino Bossier City. Minimum gambling age is 21.

Tribal Casinos

Native American casinos are also popular in this state with four ones available to the public, offering Class III gambling. These are Coushatta Casino Resort, Jena Choctaw Pines Casino, Paragon Casino Resort and Cypress Bayou Casino. These casinos, located on tribal lands, enjoy more freedom than other casinos. Of course, Native American lands must first conform to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act before licenses may be awarded. These casinos also follow the legal gambling age of 21.

Commercial Casinos

There is only one full-fledged commercial  casino in Louisiana – Harrah’s New Orleans – that offers slots, a lot of table games, as well as a poker room. Considering the number of riverboat casinos, plus the presence of tribal casinos, there is no lack of land-based commercial casinos. The legal gambling age in this casino is 21 as well.

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Pari-Mutuel

You can find four racinos around Louisiana. These are Delta Downs, Evangeline Downs, Fair Grounds, and Louisiana Downs. All these venues offer pari-mutuel wagering on live Thoroughbred and quarter-horse races, offtrack and live betting, simulcast wagering on horse races. Video poker and slots are also allowed here. The legal gambling age for those who want to bet is 18.

Lottery

Like the majority of the states in the country, Louisiana also has its own state lottery and also participates in interstate lottery games like Powerball, Mega Millions, Lotto, Easy 5. This state has a higher minimum gambling age compared to other states though, as only those who are aged 21 and above are allowed to play. There are more than 2,800 licensed lottery retailers in Louisiana, but the law prohibits them from only selling lottery tickets; they must have a primary product, outside of lottery tickets.

Charitable Gambling

Charitable gambling in the state is handled by the Office of Charitable Gaming (OCG). The OCG is responsible for granting licenses to non-profit organizations that are interested to hold such events, monitors and regulates all charitable activities. Games that are allowed in charitable events are bingo, raffles, pull-tab games, keno, electronic video bingo and Las Vegas nights. Only those aged 18 and above are allowed to participate in these events.

Poker

Live poker is legal and allowed to play in the licensed casinos. Despite there is no explicit legal statute that regulates home (social) poker games, it is concerned that low stakes poker games are legal while nobody host and get profit from it. Online poker along with other games in online casinos is illegal.

Online Gambling

Louisiana is one the states that explicitly determines online gambling as illegal. Paragraph 90.3 of Louisiana Revised Statutes specifies punishment for both, operators and players, from stiff fines to even imprisonment.