The Louisiana Senate recently voted 22-14 to approve SB 316, state Senator Ronnie Johns’ measure allowing the state’s 15 riverboat casinos to move onto land within 1,200 feet of their current berths. Louisiana Casino Association Executive Director Wade Duty said, “Having these boats on the water does not necessarily lend itself to a good revenue base for the state and also predictable jobs.” He noted Louisiana is the only state that requires casinos to be seaworthy. “Being able to get these boats off of the water and into a land configuration improves not only your predictability as far as maintenance, but not only the attractiveness for the customer,” he said.
The bill also would replace the 30,000 square foot floor space cap with a limit of 2,365 gaming positions. Johns said this would allow casinos to accommodate larger slot machines with newer technology.
Johns stated the changes would modernize an industry that has not been allowed to update since Louisiana allowed riverboat casinos more than 25 years ago. The legislation, if passed by the House, would help the state’s casinos compete with those in Oklahoma and Mississippi.
Johns said the measure is not an expansion of gaming. But Louisiana Family Forum President Gene Mills said, “It does increase their square footage, their gaming area as well as their gaming opportunities, so it’s undeniably an expansion, not in the terms of license, but in terms of opportunity.” He said that will add to the 180,000 gambling addicts statewide. “It’s the final step of the evolution in the riverboats becoming land-based casinos and that’s just a impermissible objective in the state of Louisiana,” Mills said.
The Senate rejected another bill that would have allowed DiamondJacks Casino to move from Bossier City to Tangipahoa Parish. Peninsula Pacific, DiamondJacks owner, wanted to build a $100 million casino in Hammond.
Previously the Senate passed SB 184, which will reduce from 100,000 to 25,000 the minimum amount of fuel that video poker truck stops are required to sell each month. The measure now is pending before the House.
