Article: Online Betting Now Legal at Louisiana Race Tracks | KATC.com | Acadiana-Lafayette, Louisiana

I know a few friends down in New Orleans who will celebrate this news!

In recent years , there’s been a steady decline in people betting at Louisiana’s horse racing tracks. At Evangeline Downs for example, only about five percent of all bets are made at the track.

A new law will allow online betting at all Louisiana tracks, which officials believe will increase revenue.

Until now if you wanted to bet on a horse at Evangeline Downs-you had three options. You had to either go to the track, go to an off-track betting location or go online to wagering websites.
The Director of Racing at Evangeline Downs, Steve Darbonne, said these type of websites have taken away revenue from every track in the state.

He said, “more and more people have computers and have access to those types of wagering websites, which is taking away from those types of wagering at the tracks.”
With Governor Jindal’s signature, it’s now legal for every horse race track in Louisiana to offer online wagering.