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Lawmakers back bill to classify offshore sweepstakes sites as illegal gambling
Summary
The House Criminal Justice Committee voted to report Senate Bill 181 favorably after lawmakers heard from the bill's author and industry and charitable-gaming representatives about sweepstakes-style online casinos operating outside Louisiana regulation.
The House Criminal Justice Committee voted to report Senate Bill 181 favorably after sponsor Sen. Adam Bass told members the measure would clarify that online "real money sweepstakes casinos" are illegal and give state enforcement agencies tools to act.
"I've introduced it, to combat the proliferation of online illegal gambling casinos, which are ripping off Louisiana citizens," Sen. Adam Bass said, adding that "Louisiana's residents are conned into wagering a little over 4,500,000,000.0 on the black market every year." The bill would classify such websites as illegal gambling and establish penalties for operating or facilitating unregulated online gambling.
The bill drew support from several regulated-gaming industry representatives who submitted witness cards. A representative of the charitable-gaming sector, Veil Collins, urged the committee to clarify that games overseen by the Department of Revenue's Office of Charitable Gaming (including certain draw and instant games and "mega progressive bingo") should not be swept into the bill's prohibitions. "Our game for charitable gaming would be made illegal," Collins warned, asking that Senator Bass add an exclusion for games approved by charitable gaming (he referenced "RS4707" in his remarks).
Sen. Bass said his intent was limited to online sweepstakes-style operations and not to prohibit charitable gaming: "My bill just deals with online gaming. So we're not taking away the charitable gaming." He told the committee the purpose is to equip the attorney general's office, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board and the Louisiana State Police to enforce existing prohibitions against illegal iGaming.
Rep. Cox asked procedural and scope questions about what would remain legal; Bass and Collins clarified that sports wagering and other regulated forms of gaming are covered by different statutes and authorities. Committee members placed submitted informational cards from the Gaming Control Board, the attorney general's gaming division and the Louisiana State Police into the record.
After debate the committee proceeded with a motion by Rep. Wiley to report SB 181 favorably; there were no objections and the measure was reported favorably to the next stage.
