The dream of letting Louisiana’s sports bettors parlay pigskin with ponies is inching closer to reality.
Members of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board voted unanimously on Aug. 20 to approve the implementation of rulemaking procedures in connection with fixed-odds horse racing offered by the state’s sportsbooks.
Lawmakers hope it boosts racing revenue, though the financial impact remains uncertain and could take months to determine.
The proposed rules, which will take time to implement, aim to ensure sports wagering operators have their own rules for accepting and settling fixed-odds bets for horse races (such as how scratched horses are treated for a race).
Those rules also lay out how operators can request to offer fixed-odds wagering on horse racing and the approvals required for in-state and out-of-state races. For example, a Louisiana-based operator would need Churchill Downs’ consent to offer a fixed-odds wager on the Kentucky Derby.
In addition, there are proposed financial reporting requirements, including that operators must provide data on straight wagers, parlays involving only horse racing, “and parlay wagers involving horse racing events combined with other approved sports events.”
https://www.covers.com/industry/louisiana-fixed-odds-horse-racing-sports-betting-rules-process-start-september-2026