The city council in Kenner, Louisiana recently voted 5-2 in favor of a legislative task force’s recommendations allowing riverboat casinos to operate on land within 1,200 feet of their current berth, as well as to reconfigure gaming floors to accommodate larger slot machines and add more slots and table games. Councilman Mike Sigur, the resolution’s sponsor, said, “I just see it as an economic tool for the city.”
The Treasure Chest riverboat casino is located in Kenner. Last year it generated $4.7 million for the city. Sigur said if state lawmakers approve the task force’s suggestions, the Treasure Chest probably would build a land-based casino directly south of its current berth, which could be filled and paved for more parking. Approval of the recommendations also would allow the state’s 15 operators to offer more slot machines and table games than Mississippi casinos, which are allowed to conduct gambling within 800 feet of the Gulf of Mexico.
In 1993, the Kenner city council voted 6-1to let the Treasure Chest dock on Lake Pontchartrain. Supporters noted the economic benefits but opponents said the riverboat casino would cause traffic congestion, gambling addiction, rising crime and falling property values. “None of those fears ever came true,” Sigur said.
Louisiana authorized floating casinos in 1991. At the time they were portrayed as old-fashioned paddle wheelers that would cruise the state’s rivers. However, riverboat operators and most gamblers preferred to remain docked, but they have been required to maintain an operational paddle wheel and a maritime crew. The task force also recommended those requirements be eliminated.
