To date, $1.4 billion has been wagered in sports betting, making the state a winner. At the Thursday West Calcasieu Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Ronnie Johns reported on the financial impact of casinos and shared the latest sports betting numbers available.

“These numbers are from November 2022 when we went live with retail sports betting through the last month of July,” Johns said. “Mobile sports betting went live in January in time to capture the NFL championship games. But with that said, $1.4 billion is an incredible number, and what’s interesting about that number is we haven’t even had a football season yet. The NFL starts this weekend, so I think we’re going to see some crazy numbers.”

Seventeen of the 20 licenses have been awarded, according to Johns.

The state has 4 pari-mutuel race tracks and 15 riverboat casino licenses. That number will increase by one when Horseshoe Casino opens in Westlake. The license fee for casinos and tracks was $750, nonrefundable should they back out. Riverboat casinos are being replaced across the state with land based casinos, but licenses are still referred to as riverboat licenses.

Golden Nugget and L’Auberge Lake Charles have first-class on-site sports betting operations, Johns said. Vinton’s Delta Downs announced the placing of its sports bet earlier this year. One of the licenses not yet awarded will go to the Horseshoe Casino in Westlake that is slated for a December opening.

Here’s how sports betting monies are being divvied up in the state: Early childhood education will receive 25 percent, not to exceed $20 million; 10 percent will go to the sports wagering local allocation fund; 2 percent or up to $500,000 will go to the Behavioral Health & Wellness Fund to help compulsive gamblers; 2.5 percent will go to the Sports Wagering Purse Supplemental Fund to help fund horse racing in the state; 2 percent, not to exceed $500,00 will go to Disability Affairs and the remaining 58.5 percent will go to General State Affairs.

The largest sports bet in the history of the United State occurred right here in Calcasieu Parish from Mattress Mack, as a promotional gimmick to sell mattresses. The bet was $5 million.

In November of 2020, 55 of 64 parishes approved the statewide referendum for sports betting.

“If you’ve ever wondered how a person is able to place a bet in a parish that voted for sports betting, but can’t in a parish where it was voted against, it’s interesting technology and very accurate,” Johns said. “You might be able to place a bet on one side of the street, cross over and not be able to place a bet, depending on where the parish line runs.”

Before it was legalized and regulated, Johns said online offshore operations were springing up everywhere.

“I’d be talking with someone who would ask me what I could do to help them after they made a sizable online bet, but couldn’t collect their money,” Johns said. “Zero was my answer. I couldn’t do anything. That site might be in the Caribbean somewhere.”

Johns said the first time he addressed the West Cal Chamber it was at “the old Holiday Inn.”

“In two or three month from now we are moving to Lafayette,” he said. “It’s a personal family decision. I want to thank you for embracing us 39 years ago and making us part of this community.”