Ah, well, we need to establish which laurel you mean - its commonly used as a name for Aucuba japonica (spotted laurel), Prunus laurocerasus (Cherry Laurel) and sometimes for Laurus nobilis (Bay laurel). If you mean the latter, then yes, you can keep it in a pot, but it will need regular shaping and pruning. The other two will outgrow their pots fairly quickly and best off in the ground; Aucuba japonica wants to get 8 x 8 feet, but might do okay for maybe 4 or 5 years in successively larger pots over time, and Prunus 25 x 20 feet, unless you've got a dwarf variety.