Louisiana loves to gamble, and the success of legal sports betting illustrates it. The state Gaming Control Board reports the 13 legal sports book operations in Louisiana took in over $40-million in bets in the last four days of January.  However, Donna Jackson, gaming auditor for the State Police, reported yesterday the six companies doing app-based online betting reported collective losses of nearly $9-million dollars as they pushed out incentives to attract bettors…:

CUT 13(07)      “…for promotional wagers.”

Opening in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl was a major reason behind the promotional flurry.

After a year off due to the pandemic Mardi Gras is back, with dozens of statewide parades starting as early as tonight, and running right through Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras historian Arthur Hardy says no one knows how big New Orleans crowds will be this year, but hotel bookings ARE up…:

CUT 11(06)      “…solid season.”

The state legislature is expected wrap up its special session on redistricting today. The session officially must end Sunday at 6 p.m. Lawmakers have been split along racial and party lines on the subject of adding more majority-black voting districts to the maps for Congress, legislature, BESE, state courts and more. The House and Senate Republican majorities each passed congressional maps that still have only one majority-minority district, despite blacks making up a third of voters statewide. “LAPolitics.com” publisher Jeremy Alford says GOP members feel there’s more to making a second majority-black district than simply wanting one…:

CUT 05(15)      “…were maps passed.”

Alford thinks court challenges of the district maps passed are inevitable.

The Coast Guard suspends its search for a woman who jumped over the rail of a cruise ship in the Gulf Wednesday. The unidentified woman made the leap after an altercation of some sort. She hit the side of the ship as she fell and was never seen surfacing. Her husband and family were also aboard the ship.