In the world of wagering, there is no such thing as a sure thing. That's because in the world of legal wagering there is a lot of red tape and government bureaucracy. Those of us who are interested in placing legal wagers on sporting events in the state are finding out that the government hurdles make the whole process seem longer than the last two minutes of a basketball game.

It seems like it's been ten years ago but it was actually just one year ago when voters in 56 of Louisiana's 64 parishes approved measures that would pave the way for sports wagering in the state. At the time the measures were approved we were told that we should have sports wagering up and running by the fall of 2021.

Well, here it is October and so far, there is only one place in the state where you can legally make a wager on a sporting event. That facility is Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville and they have been taking sports wagers for a couple of weeks now.

Super Bowl 50 Proposition Bets At The Westgate Las Vegas Race & Sports SuperBook
Getty Images/Ethan Miller
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Meanwhile, there have been rumors floating around the state concerning the rest of the state's casinos and when they too might offer legal sports betting. The primary rumor that I heard is obviously the same rumor Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns has heard. That rumor is this. That Louisiana would have sports wagering up and running by this weekend.

Nope, that ain't gonna happen.

Chairman Johns did say that while it won't be this weekend, it will be soon. But it's not going to happen until the State Gaming Control Board has all of their ducks in a row and every application has been reviewed. The process is just taking longer than anticipated.

Johns said in a story published by the Louisiana Radio Network that only 13 of the state's 20 casinos had applied for a license to offer sports wagering. As we mentioned, so far only Paragon has actually been approved for those bets.

Sports betting (flickr.com)
Sports betting (flickr.com)
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Chairman Johns reminded those with questions that the application, licensing, and approval process for those who want to host sports wagering was delayed by Hurricane Ida. No, it wasn't because of damage from the storm, it was because the State Police Troopers assigned to the Gaming Control Board had to be pulled off of those jobs to go help with hurricane recovery.

I think we can all understand why that needed to happen.

The Gaming Control Board did approve the application of online bookmaker Fan Duel. That was announced yesterday. Louisiana now becomes the 47th state in the union where Fan Duel is authorized to operate. 

Johns did offer one other "hint" as to when he felt that sports wagering would spread across the rest of the state. According to his comments published by the Louisiana Radio Network.

It’s going to be soon, so maybe before LSU gets a new head football coach, I don’t know about that, so we’ll see

Well played Chairman Johns, well played indeed.

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