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State says betting on 31 different sports and competitions now allowed—even badminton and the Academy Awards

Most gamblers are familiar with professional football and basketball, but the Louisiana Gaming Control Board has included 31 sports that are legal to bet on in its new catalog as the state’s newly-created sports wagering industry gets up and running, The News Star reports.

Some of the sports or events might be surprising—the gaming board also listed snooker, a bumper pool game; the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest; darts; the Academy Awards; and badminton.

“It’s really amazing all of the options that are offered,” Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns says.

Boxing, cricket, cycling, soccer, MMA, lawn bowling and lacrosse are also included in the new program. The catalog gives casinos with sports betting licenses the option to offer any of the sports listed, but they aren’t required to carry all of them.

Louisiana’s first legal sports betting parlor opened earlier this month at the Paragon Casino Resort. Johns says he expects to begin issuing sports betting licenses to other Louisiana casinos within two weeks for on-site wagering. But it may not be until January that the betting is widely available. Read the full story for why that is.

This story originally appeared in an Oct. 28 edition of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.