The Louisiana Legislature just passed the most aggressive bill targeting sweepstakes casinos since this recent wave of scrutiny on the sweeps industry began in 2025.
House Bill 53 cleared the Senate via a 29-7 vote on Monday, and it was reported back to the House on Tuesday without amendments. That means it has not formally passed both chambers of the legislature, setting it up to be sent to Gov. Jeff Landry for his signature or veto.
The thing is, HB53 is not a traditional sweeps ban.
It goes beyond what any other sweeps ban legislation has done up to this point.
Racketeering classification would mean more serious consequences
Sweeps casinos’ fate under HB53, as things currently stand, hinges on how existing law is interpreted. (However, a different bill currently on the table in Louisiana would change that. More on that bill later.)
State leaders, including Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, have already argued that using Sweeps Coins effectively amounts to online gambling. If a court agrees with that view, sweepstakes casinos could be treated as engaging in “gambling by computer” — a classification that would come with huge risk under HB53.
That’s because HB53 would elevate certain gambling-related offenses into the state’s racketeering crime framework. Once folded into racketeering law, those violations could trigger far more serious criminal consequences than the industry has faced to date.
If applied this way, HB53 could shift enforcement into entirely new territory. Instead of debating nuances like skill versus chance, authorities could pursue cases by framing the entire operation as unlawful. Still, that outcome depends on courts backing the state’s interpretation — something that remains uncertain, but highly plausible.
Now, we wait for HB883
Meanwhile, House Bill 883 just received a favorable recommendation from its first Senate committee — Senate Committee on Judiciary B — also on Tuesday. HB883 needed to clear only one House committee before proceeding to a full floor vote in that chamber (where it passed unanimously), so the bill is now theoretically close to a full floor vote in the Senate.
And here’s the connection to HB53:
HB883 would officially outlaw dual-currency gaming at sweepstakes casinos. Yes, there is a huge presence of cease-and-desists sent out to sweeps casinos in Louisiana. Yes, as mentioned earlier, both the governor and Attorney General have publicly stated they believe state law already bans Sweeps Coin gaming at sweeps casinos.
But, outside their interpretations, in terms of actual language in state law, there is nothing banning sweeps. HB883 would change that, with this key language:
Any game, contest, or promotion that is available on the internet or accessible on a mobile phone, computer terminal, or similar access device that utilizes a dual-currency system of payment allowing the player to exchange the currency for any prize or award, cash, or cash equivalents, or any chance to win any prize or award, cash, or cash equivalents, and simulates any form of gambling constitutes gambling by computer.
Notice that last phrase — gambling by computer?
That’s the exact language that would be considered a racketeering crime under HB53.
So, if Landry signs HB53, and HB883 also passes the legislature and he signs that too, there is no wiggle room: Offering dual-currency sweepstakes gaming would be punishable under Louisiana’s racketeering law. Many sweeps operators have already left Louisiana, or at least eliminated Sweeps Coin gameplay in the state. But this would likely send any remaining holdouts fleeing.
