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Louisiana legislators have introduced Senate Bill 354, a measure that would reshape the state’s sports betting laws by removing proposition bets and micro‑bets from the list of permitted wagers.
The proposal, sponsored by Senator Jackson-Andrews, comes as part of a broader effort to tighten controls on gambling practices that focus on individual plays or side outcomes rather than the overall result of a game.
Under current law, sports wagers include a wide range of betting formats, from single-game bets to parlays and moneylines. SB 354 keeps most of those intact but strikes out proposition bets, which are wagers on specific aspects of a sporting event, and micro‑bets, which are live wagers placed on individual plays or actions while the game is underway.
This change means that bets on things like which player scores first or how many fouls occur in a half would no longer be allowed. “Proposition bet” or “prop bet” means a side wager on a part of a sport or athletic event that does not concern the final outcome of the sport or athletic event,” the bill states.
Micro-bets placed during games would be prohibited
The bill also introduces a new category called “sports micro‑bets,” which it defines as proposition bets placed during a sporting event, focusing on the outcome of a single play or action.
For example, wagering on whether the next pitch in baseball will be a strike or whether a football team will convert a third down would fall under this definition. SB 354 adds micro-bets to the list of wagers that operators cannot accept or pay out.
The bill places clear limits on operators, stating that no sports wagers may be accepted or paid out if they involve proposition bets or micro‑bets. This restriction applies across the board, ensuring that licensed operators cannot offer these products in Louisiana once the law takes effect.
SB 354 is scheduled to become effective on August 1, 2026, giving regulators and operators time to adjust.
A growing trend
The push in Louisiana to ban proposition and micro‑bets reflects a wider movement across the United States. In recent years, these betting formats have become common in regulated markets, but more states are now stepping in to restrict them, especially when it comes to college sports.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has been calling on states to outlaw such markets, with only a few complying. Vermont, Maryland, and Ohio all banned collegiate prop bets in 2024, while Massachusetts lawmakers are weighing Bill S302, which must be heard by March 6 to remain active.
Other states, including Utah, New Jersey, Kentucky, and New York, are considering similar measures, though North Carolina’s effort has stalled.
Sports leagues have also joined the fight, with Major League Baseball announcing last November that it would cap pitch‑level markets at $200 and bar their use in parlays. The NBA followed in December, calling for fewer prop bets after several match‑fixing scandals shook confidence in the integrity of games, while the Big Ten Student-Athlete Issues Commission wrote to the NCAA last month, requesting a ban on these markets.
