Gambling boost for Louisiana

Gambling in the US state of Louisiana has been boosted after a Senate committee approved two measures that would give voters the right to legalise betting on college and professional sports.

The Senate Judiciary B Committee also approved a bill that would eliminate the tax that casinos pay on freebies they give to gamblers, according to the Baton Rouge Advocate.

“If we will remove this tax, I believe it will increase revenue,” said state Senator Barrow Peacock, the sponsor of the measure, Senate Bill 332, which had been amended from its original purpose.

He did not yet have, however, a fiscal note prepared by the legislative staff that would forecast whether the measure would generate more state taxes.