BOSSIER CITY, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City took their first sports bets after a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday afternoon.
The company has officially opened The Sportsbook at Margaritaville with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, making it the second casino in Shreveport-Bossier to offer sports betting since it became legal in June.
Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns says both Margaritaville and Boomtown were both granted sports betting licenses late Wednesday afternoon, effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, making them the seventh and eighth casinos statewide to earn the licenses.
Horseshoe Casino was the first casino in Shreveport-Bossier to become licensed by the state and started taking sports wagers on October 31. Johns said five more licenses remain pending, “and we are working those as we speak.”
After opening, Margaritaville says The Sportsbook will be open to accepting bets seven days a week.
“We are excited to welcome all sports to The Sportsbook at Margaritaville,” Margaritaville Vice President General Manager Barry Regula said in a statement. “We will offer more ways to bet and more ways to win, and we look forward to becoming a destination for fans of all sports.”
All 20 of the state’s casinos and racetracks, including the remaining three in Shreveport-Bossier, are expected to eventually get authorization to begin taking sports wagers because they have already met the requirements for suitability and background checks. Those that do not will take longer to be verified through the investigative and regulatory process.
The Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, owned by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana and is not regulated by the state, began taking spots wagers on October 6.
