Louisiana Senate Backs Proposal to Legalize Sports Betting

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana voters could determine on a parish-by-parish basis whether to legalize sports betting, under a bill that won easy passage Wednesday in the state Senate.

Senators voted 29-8 for the proposal by Sen. Cameron Henry, a Jefferson Parish Republican, that calls for the sports betting authorization to appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The measure, which heads next to the House for debate, would let voters in each parish decide if wagering on sports should be legal in their parish.

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But the scope of the betting — which sports would be allowed and where the wagers could happen — would require additional legislation to create the licensing, regulation and tax structures.

Previous efforts to legalize sports betting have failed to reach final passage.

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