Louisiana Sports Betting Handle Up To $234.5 Million in August

The summer slowdown for our best sports betting sites in Louisiana seemed to start to turn the corner in August.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) has published the latest data from the state’s mobile and retail sportsbooks for August, revealing $234.5 million in handle.

The figure represents a 52.3% increase from the $153.9 million wagered last August. On a month-on-month basis, it also marks a 27.1% increase compared to July, which saw $184.5 million in handle.

Louisiana sports betting apps continued to dominate the market, accounting for 93.0% of the total handle at $218.2 million, a 57.1% year-on-year surge. Meanwhile, retail sportsbooks collected the remaining $16.3 million, an 8.2% increase compared to the previous August.

After winnings were paid out, the state saw $25.4 million in sports betting revenue, a 49.5% year-on-year increase and a 5.9% rise from July. With a 10.4% hold, mobile sportsbooks contributed $22.7 million to this total, up 51.2% year-on-year. Retail sportsbooks reported a higher hold percentage of 16.5% and generated nearly $2.7 million in revenue. Residents continued to take advantage of Louisiana sportsbook promos.

Louisiana sports betting sites and retail books paid nearly $3.7 million in taxes last month, up 75.3% from last year and 5.3% month-on-month. Of the total, $3.4 million came from mobile operators, while retail sportsbooks contributed $268,342.

Most popular bet types

Parlay bets were the leading source of revenue in August, accounting for $13.0 million or 57.2% of mobile sportsbook profits and $1.4 million or 52.8% of retail sportsbook revenue. 

“Other” bets were the second most popular for mobile sportsbooks, generating almost $4.5 million in revenue. In third, football accounted for nearly $2.1 million in revenue. Compared to the $279,093 that was wagered on football last month, mobile football bets also saw the largest month-on-month increase of any bet type, up 649.0%. Football revenue could be up again in September, with the 2024-25 NFL season kicking off earlier in the month.

Baseball bets followed, accounting for $2.05 million of August’s revenue, followed by basketball with $579,552 and soccer revenue at $553,132. Basketball saw the largest month-on-month drop in revenue, down 64.3% from July.

Meanwhile, football took the second spot for retail revenue, reporting the largest increase of 889.2% from July, at $1.3 million. Next, baseball revenue accounted for $308,513, soccer generated $47,942, and other bets contributed $47,482 in retail sportsbook revenue.

Louisiana sports betting

Voters approved legal sports betting four years ago in November, and the state legislature established a framework for retail and online sports betting in June of the following year.

Retail sports betting began in the Pelican State in Oct. 2021, with Betfred Sports at Paragon Casino Resort being the first to open its doors. Legal online sports wagering launched in Jan. 2022 with six operators.

The state is now home to eight of the best sportsbooks in the US, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Fanatics, bet365, BetRivers, ESPN BET, and Caesars.