GeoComply: Louisiana leaps to the front in blockbuster betting debut

Louisianians made more than 3.4 million geolocated sports betting transactions during the opening weekend of sports betting, according to the latest data from geolocation firm GeoComply.

As part of its research, GeoComply monitored the Pelican State’s betting activity from the launch on Friday, January 28 at 8am CT until the end of Sunday’s games.

During the first 36 hours, the total number of unique players represented 3.6% of Louisiana’s adult population. This outperformed New York’s opening weekend, where the number of unique players represented 3.3% of the adult population.

Although geolocation transactions are not equivalent to total wagers, they serve as a strong indicator of market activity, as it has proven in New York where high transaction volumes have turned into $1.176bn in handle and $91.4m in revenue through the first 16 days.

According to GeoComply data, 68% of GeoComply’s volumes occurred within the southeastern section of the Pelican State, encompassing Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Louisiana ranked eighth in terms of GeoComply’s transaction volumes (total number of geolocation checks) for the weekend, ahead of Indiana, Tennessee, Colorado, and Connecticut.

The Pelican State has 20 licensed casinos, which comprises 13 riverboats, one land-based resort in New Orleans, and four so-called ‘racino’ properties. A further two riverboat casinos have received licenses but are out of operation.

Under state ordinances, licensees are allowed two mobile betting platform skins each, as well as the Louisiana Lottery Corporation, which runs the state lottery.

BetMGM, FanDuel, Caesars, WynnBet, and DraftKings have already entered the state in partnerships with retail operators and were able to pre-register customers prior to the state launch on January 28.

Parishes where bets cannot be taken include Caldwell, Catahoula, Franklin, Jackson, LaSalle, Sabine, Union, West Carroll, and Winn.