A Louisiana state House committee "advanced legislation that would legalize sports betting" in the state via a 11-6 vote, with Senate Bill 153 now going to the "full House for consideration," according to Mark Ballard of the Baton Rouge ADVOCATE. State Sen. Danny Martiny said that he is pushing this legislation to allow Louisiana's casino industry to "keep pace with gambling concerns in other states, particularly Mississippi." State Rep. Joseph Marino said that not allowing sports betting would put Louisiana at a "competitive disadvantage with casinos from other states." If the legalization effort becomes law, casinos in Louisiana "would pay a 13% tax on net proceeds from any wagering on college and professional sporting events." Bets "would be allowed only at the 19 riverboat, land-based and race track casinos" (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 5/22). The AP's Melinda Deslatte noted despite the bill winning approval, more hurdles "remain, including a possible review from the conservative House budget committee before the measure can reach the House floor." Critics of the bill "backed an amendment to also allow sports betting at truck stops and the hundreds of places licensed to have video poker." But Louisiana state Rep. Ted James "successfully asked the House committee to strip the video poker provision" (AP, 5/21).
UNRESOLVED ISSUES: In Maine, Kevin Miller reported state lawmakers "made progress Monday hashing out the details of a proposal to legalize sports betting in Maine but have yet to finalize several key issues, most notably the state's share of gambling revenues." They also "debated how old a person has to be to place a bet, who could offer sports betting and how much to charge in license fees." The current proposal would "allow gambling on professional, college and amateur sports, but would prohibit wagering on high school sporting events as well as on events featuring Maine-based colleges and universities" (PORTLAND PRESS HERALD, 5/21).
