The Louisiana Gaming Control Board announced it will ask three riverboat casinos explain why they consistently have not met voluntary minority procurement goals. Board Chairman Ronnie Jones did not name the properties but said they were located in Northwest Louisiana. In fourth quarter 2017, five of the riverboat casinos did not meet their minority procurement goals, according to state attorney general’s office report. Three of the five properties were located in Northwest Louisiana: Horseshoe in Bossier City, and Sam’s Town and El Dorado in Shreveport.
“If riverboat gaming is really about economic opportunity, and that opportunity is not being offered, we as a board would like to know why,” Jones said. The three general managers of the unnamed casinos will be asked to attend the board’s March 19 meeting, Jones stated. He noted they may offer reasonable explanations, like a lack of minority vendors for certain types of contracts. Also Jones said properties may have quarterly variations, and that it’s more practical for riverboats that require constant supplies of beverages and groceries to use national vendors like Coca-Cola. He said his emphasis is on persistent problems.
Louisiana Casino Association Executive Director Wade said over the past three years, the number of minority vendors participating in his group’s annual minority vendor fair has dropped by more than half. “Vendor identification continues to be a thing casinos struggle with,” he noted. Duty
stated the association plans to participate in more regional, collaborative fairs with other industries to locate more vendors.
The state’s 15 riverboat licensees set voluntary minority procurement goals when the state authorized riverboat gaming in the early 1990s. The goals indicate licensees will purchase supplies or equipment from businesses that are at least 51 percent owned by one or more minority individuals living in Louisiana. Licensees also set procurement goals for female-owned vendors.
