Louisiana Raffle Laws
When it comes to Louisiana, most people might consider the state an open stage in terms of hedonistic pleasures, but while the weight of that assumption might be based on the single week of Mardi Gras. The reality is that millions of visitors travel to the Bayou State for its unique cultural attractions, fine cuisine, great outdoors, and exciting casino life.
We here at LouisianaGamblingLaws.com are gamblers with an interest Louisiana gambling laws, not the other way around. While we stand by the accuracy of the information on this page, it cannot be considered a legal consult. Further questions should be directed towards a lawyer or the Louisiana legislature at www.legis.state.la.us. Exemptions from Raffle Licensing Requirements 1. A license and payment of a fee to conduct charitable gaming shall not be required of an organization to conduct a raffle if the organization is one which: a. Would qualify under Louisiana law to conduct charitable gaming; b. All net proceeds are dedicated to purposes. The gambling laws in Louisiana are a double-edged sword. The state is home to many forms of legal gambling; however, all of these activities are limited to land-based versions. Louisiana statute § 14:90.3 clearly prohibits all forms of online gambling. A recent vote has allowed daily fantasy sports operators access to the state.
Louisiana State Raffle Regulations Most organizations that conduct charitable gaming must have IRS not-profit status. However, there are a few exceptions that don’t require an. Laws & Regulations Louisiana Revised Statutes. Louisiana Gaming Control Act, LA R.S. Louisiana Riverboat Economic Development and Gaming Control Act, LA R.S. Louisiana Economic Development and Gaming Corporation Act (Landbased Casino), LA R.S. Video Draw Poker Devices Control Law, LA R.S.
The state has a rich gambling history that continues into the present, and Louisiana offers the full complement of gaming opportunities from a state sponsored lottery to pari-mutuel betting to a vibrant casino industry that pumps more than $2 billion dollars in revenues annually.
For those landing at the state's major airports or traversing its boundaries from neighboring states, the Bayou State is one of the top tier states for gaming opportunities in the country. Additionally, Louisianans can take full advantage of their unfettered access to a full range of gambling options that includes offshore casino cruises, riverboat casinos, as well as a host of card room, commercial land-based casinos, and Tribal gaming concerns.
With an array of legal gambling options, state leaders in Baton Rouge take a dim view of illegally run gambling operations, and their legal statutes, like most other state jurisdictions, aims their criminal penalties for the owners and operators of illegal games rather than going after individual players.
To better understand what is allowed and banned in Louisiana when it comes to legalized gaming options; let's explore Louisiana's legislative landscape before considering the future of online gambling options in the Pelican State.
Louisiana Gambling Laws
Louisiana Gambling Laws begin with a definition of gambling that decidedly pokes a legal finger at the organizers of illegal gambling schemes or activities by noting, 'the intentional conducting or directly assisting in the conducting, as a business, of any game, context, lottery, or contrivance whereby a person risks the loss of anything of value in order to realize a profit.'
As far as individual players, the state only goes so far as to single them out in terms of establishing age restrictions. Specifically, under Louisiana's gambling rules, players must be 18-years of age to participate in the state lorry or horse track wagering. To avail themselves of the fun afforded at casinos or playing video poker games, players must be 21 years or older.
Note, while underage players will be cited for accessing gambling games, the charge, under the state's legal code would target them not for illegally gambling, but for gambling without reaching the age of consent.
As long as no one takes a cut or fee for their organization of a home based game, Baton Rouge legislators have carves out a safety zone in their legal codes for social gambling for charitable and recreational purposes. Additionally, under this umbrella protection, bingo games, raffle, and keno are all legal in the Bayou State.
Commercial cruise ships, operating outside the 12-mile territorial waters of the state, offer gambling cruises and casino style play that falls outside that state's legal purview, but still provides exciting gambling activity out on the high seas.
The Louisiana legal code makes dog and cock fighting illegal with stiff fines up to $2,000 and potential jail time up to three years in state prison for organizing, training, or facilitating either of these brutal sports.
/GettyImages-183834174-57869e145f9b5831b52017fb.jpg "Raffle")
Louisiana Online Poker Laws
The language of Louisiana's legal code addresses 'computer gambling,' but does little to clarify its effect on the casual online poker player. Under Section 90.3 of the state's revised statues, gambling by computer is prohibited in the Bayou State.
'Computer gambling is the conducting as a business of any game, context, lottery, or other activity whereby a person risks the loss of anything of value in order to realize a profit when accessing the Internet.'
The passage further details criminal penalties of fines up to $500 and up to six months of imprisonment upon conviction.
To begin with, we can easily see that the language in this section closely mirrors the language used to describe traditional gambling venues, and secondly, again, the state directs all of its energy towards going after the operators of computer generated gambling websites rather than the players that frequent them.
Faced with the jurisdictional issues of the Internet that every state enforcement agency faces, there is simply no way to track the usage of players accessing U.S. facing offshore websites offering an array of real money poker and casino style gaming.
With little to discourage them, Louisiana residents readily access the Internet in search of host sites willing to accept their application to open an account. While it is true that there was an exodus of hosting sites from the Louisiana online gambling market, in the aftermath of the state's passage of Section 90.3, but those who left were considered weak platforms anyways and are little missed by serious players.
Is it Legal to Play Poker in Louisiana?
Under Louisiana law, if you are over the age of 21 and frequent an officially-sanctioned gaming establishment, it is perfectly legal to play poker in the state. With the exception of zoning ordinances, which serve to keep racetracks and casinos away from residential and school zones, residents and visitors can find a poker game within easy reach of their front door.
Borrowing heavily on its riverboat heritage, the state was one of the first to adopt riverboat style gambling that are licensed to offer poker to interested residents. Referring to anything floating in the water, these riverboat casinos sometimes amount to large structures situated on barges anchored near shore. Although this might not be evocative of a Mark Twain novel in the popular consciousness, it does provide a great place for Louisianans to legally play poker.
With 18 casinos dotting the landscape and nearly a dozen live card rooms in operation, gamblers have plenty of options for live poker if getting to the nearest body of water hosting a riverboat casino is a major hassle.
In fact, when it comes to video poker, players have ready access at not only casinos and racetracks, but you will also find video poker games at the nearest restaurant, gas station, convenience store, or truck stop.
Finally, owing to the social gambling laws built into the state's legal code, friends can join together for a friendly wager over a hand of poker as long as all players are on an equal playing field. In other words, as long as the game's organizer does not stand to make a profit above what they might win in the game, social poker games are perfectly legal in Louisiana.
Will Louisiana Regulate Online Poker?
Perhaps the biggest roadblock to Louisiana moving to regulate legal online poker play is the more than $2 billion in revenues that current gambling operations bring in today. As with any vested interest, entrenched gambling interests in the state are working to thwart an online poker expansion, and their annual revenues buy them a lot of lobbying power in Baton Rouge.
Regardless, there is little noise coming from the state capital, and there are no bills pending in either chamber of the legislature that would suggest that the state is on the precipice of joining the handful of other states that have adopted legal, regulated online poker.
Of major concern to state officials is restricting gambling access from underage players, and they fear that the Internet offers no such safety.
In fact, many in the state government have made it clear that the state is not moving in that direction, nor should anyone expect a change in the status quo. That being said however, should regulated, online poker market prove a success in New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada, the three states currently offering the platform, Baton Rouge is unlikely to get off the fence.
Online Raffle Laws
All things being equal, should budget holes or educational funds come up short to fill the state's needs that might drive state lawmakers into the regulated online poker camp.
History of Gambling in Louisiana
A state rich in history, it only makes sense that a big part of that colorful history involves gambling. When French settlers moved into the area in the 1600s, they built numerous billiard halls and caberets before breaking ground on a single church. Following that church's construction, most congregants preferred to stay in the billiard halls rather than attend services, so the French territorial government sought to ban the practice. From limiting pot sizes to criminalizing play during church services to outright bans, there was nothing that could stop Louisianans, whatever their nationality, from gambling.
The trend continued during the Spanish period of ownership, following the French and Indian War, with newly minted Spanish citizens unwilling to give up their gambling ways anymore than when they lived under the French King.
When Louisiana came under the American flag in 1803, there were more gambling establishments in New Orleans than in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Baltimore combined. For this reason, when Americans officials banned gambling in the territory in 1812, they exempted the Big Easy from the ban owing to the pervasive grip that gambling culture held on the city.
Over the succeeding decades, Louisiana would vacillate between outright bans and open armed acceptance of expanded gambling options. Clearly, the state currently has an arms open attitude, and it is proving a win-win for the state treasury, local economies, and players looking to place a wager on their favorite game of chance or skill.
References
The publications on this web site are in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print the publications. To download the Reader click on the 'Get Adobe Reader' button below. This will take you to the Adobe Systems website. Follow the instructions on the Adobe website to install the software on your computer.
Raffle Laws Near Me
Quick Links
Michigan Raffle Law
| Form Name sort by: ( code title date ) | Period | Form |
|---|---|---|
| LAC 42:I.1701 - Statement of Department Policy | 4/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1703 - Definitions | 1/1999 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1705 - Eligibility of Charitable Gaming Licenses | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1707 - Application for a License to Conduct Charitable Gaming | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1709 - Expiration of License/Reissuance | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1711 - Manufacturer's Suitability and Business Relationships | 3/1986 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1713 - Revocation, Suspension, Restriction, Denial or Nonrenewal of Application | 3/1986 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1715 - Standards for Construction | 3/1986 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1719 - Assemble and Packaging | 3/1986 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1721 - Raffles | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1723 - Bingo Licensing Exemptions | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1725 - Miscellaneous | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1727 - Value of Prizes | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1729 - Transfer of Surplus Supplies | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1731 - Record Retention Requirements | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1733 - Separate Gaming Account | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1735 - License not Transferable | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1742 - Minimum Internal Accounting Control | 4/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1743 - Expenses | 4/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1744 - Bingo/Keno Cards and Bonanza Sheets | 4/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1745 - Licensing of Manufacturers and Distributors | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1747 - Application for Manufacturer's License | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1749 - Application for Distributor's License | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1751 - Applicant Suitability and Business Relationship | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1753 - Manufacturer's Distributor's Background Investigation | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1755 - Distributor's State Identification Stamp | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1757 - Timely Payment of Supplies; Penalty for Violation | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1761 - Reporting Requirements for License Holders | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1771 - Standards for Construction of Pull Tabs | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1773 - Assemble and Packaging of Pull Tabs | 3/1992 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1775 - Progressive Pull-Tabs | 12/2003 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1781 - Progressive Bingo | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1783 - Progressive Mega Jackpot Bingo | 2/1987 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1785 - Electronic Progressive Mega Jackpot Bingo | 4/1994 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1787 - Investigation of License Holders | 3/1992 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1789 - Suspension and Revocation of License Holders | 2/1996 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1791 - Rights to Fair Hearing | 2/1996 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1793 - Penalty Provisions | 10/2018 - present | Form |
State Of Louisiana Raffle Laws
top of page| Form Name sort by: ( code title date ) | Period | Form |
|---|---|---|
| LAC 42:I.1801 - Statement of Department Policy | 11/1988 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1803 - Definitions and Terms | 11/1988 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1805 - Registration of Manufacturers, Distributors or Owners of Electronic Video Bingo Machines | 11/1988 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1807 - Permitting Process | 11/1988 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1809 - Machine, Hardware and Software Specifications | 11/1988 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1811 - Operation of Machines | 11/1988 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1813 - Fees | 11/1988 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1815 - Reporting and Record Requirements | 11/1988 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1817 - Enforcement and Regulation | 11/1988 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1819 - Administrative Proceedings and Adjudication | 11/1988 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1821 - Repeal of Previously Adopted Rules | 11/1988 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1901 - Definitions | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1903 - Licensing of Manufacturers, Distributors or Owners of Electronic Video Bingo Machines | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1905 - Permitting Process | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1907 - Permit Stamp, Machine Location | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1909 - Expiration of License/Reissuance | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1911 - Machine Specifications | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1913 - Software Information to be Provided to the Division | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1915 - Machine Testing | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1917 - Approval of Machines | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1919 - Machine Repair | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1921 - Inspection and Seizure of Machines | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1923 - Investigation of Permittee | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1925 - Prohibited Machines | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1931 - Possession of Electronic Video Bingo Machines | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1933 - Times of Machine Operation | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1935 - Combination of Interests Prohibited | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1941 - Reporting Requirements for EVB Manufacturers | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1943 - Reporting Requirements for EVB Distributors | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1945 - Reporting Requirements for Organizations Owning Electronic Bingo Machines | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1947 - Payment of Permit Fees | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1949 - Distributor's Payment to Organizations | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1951 - Record Retention Requirements of Electronic Video Bingo | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1953 - Dissemination of Information | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.1955 - General Penalty Provision | 5/1991 - present | Form |
| Form Name sort by: ( code title date ) | Period | Form |
|---|---|---|
| LAC 42:I.2101 - Definitions | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2103 - Registration of Man., Dist., or Owners of EBCDD | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2105 - Electronic Bingo Card Dabber Device Approval Process | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2107 - Equipment Malfunctions and Inspections | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2109 - Reporting and Record Requirements | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2111 - Enforcement | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| Form Name sort by: ( code title date ) | Period | Form |
|---|---|---|
| LAC 42:I.2201 - Licensing of Commercial Lessors | 8/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2203 - Background Investigation | 8/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2205 - Expiration of License/Reissuance | 8/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2207 - Gifts Prohibited | 8/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2209 - Prohibitions | 8/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2211 - Storage Lockers | 8/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2213 - Lease Agreement | 8/1991 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2215 - Combination of Interest Prohibited | 8/1991 - present | Form |
| Form Name sort by: ( code title date ) | Period | Form |
|---|---|---|
| LAC 42:I.2301 - Definitions | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2303 - Compliance | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2305 - Commencement of Activity | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2307 - License Required for Leasing Equipment | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2309 - Information Required; Unsuitability | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2311 - Leasing Equipment from Licensed Private Casino Contractors | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2313 - Specific License Required | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2315 - Organization Compliance | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2317 - Contracts | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2319 - Additional Consideration Prohibited | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2321 - Percentage Payments Prohibited | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2323 - Name Tags | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2325 - Authorized Games | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2327 - Wagering on Authorized Games Only | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2329 - Display of Rules | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2331 - Miscellaneous Provisions | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2333 - Tickets; Recordkeeping Requirements | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2335 - Accountability | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2337 - Imitation Money | 2/2006 - present | Form |
| LAC 42:I.2339 - Register of Workers | 2/2006 - present | Form |