Gov. Jeff Landry Vetoes Louisiana Sweepstakes Prohibition Bill

• Gov. Jeff Landry (R) vetoed a heavily supported Louisiana sweepstakes prohibition bill
• SB 181 passed unanimously through both the House and Senate
• Gov. Landry noted language in the bill is “overly broad” and could be misinterpreted

Despite receiving overwhelming support in both the Louisiana House and Senate, Gov. Jeff Landry (R) vetoed a bill to ban sweepstakes gaming in the Pelican State.

Gov. Landry yesterday issued a veto for SB 181, a bill to ban dual-currency sweepstakes gaming and increase penalties for offering illegal gaming.

Landry noted in his veto message that the bill is unnecessary, as the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division, and Louisiana Attorney General’s Office are already tasked with combating illegal gaming.

Unnecessary Bill for Louisiana

The bill, Gov. Landry noted, is overly broad and may impact efforts to deal with illegal gaming actors in the state.

“As such, this bill is a solution in search of a problem that is already being solved by our current system, and some of the language in this bill is overly board and could be interpreted in an adverse manner which may harm or impede our current enforcement actions taken against these bad actors,” he wrote.

The dual-currency sweepstakes banning bill had little to no opposition during any of its committee or floor stops. The Louisiana Senate approved the bill by a 39-0 vote in April and the House unanimously approved the bill on Monday.

The bill allowed the Louisiana Gaming Control Board to bring civil enforcement actions and impose civil penalties on companies engaging in any illegal form of sweepstakes gaming. It allowed the board to fine operators, promotors, media affiliates, or providers if they engaged in or procured revenue from the illegal form of sweepstakes gaming. It allowed the board to levy fines from $10,000 to $100,000 per incident.

It attempted to ban sweepstakes games that utilized dual-currency systems of payments.

The Louisiana legislature can call a veto session to address Gov. Landry’s actions, though the odds of doing so are quite low. Louisiana lawmakers historically do not exercise their own power to question a governor’s veto.

SPGA Applauds Veto Decision

The Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA) applauded Gov. Landry’s veto, declaring the legislation would have “dramatically restricted lawful digital entertainment platforms enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents.”

“Governor Landry’s veto is a powerful affirmation that not all online games are gambling and that innovation should not be met with prohibition,” said a spokesperson for SPGA. “This legislation blurred critical legal distinctions and risked punishing legitimate businesses that comply with well-established sweepstakes laws and offer free-to-play experiences.”

Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, and Florida have all ultimately rejected sweepstakes prohibiting bills this year.