{"id":76446,"date":"2018-04-25T15:00:19","date_gmt":"2018-04-25T22:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=76446"},"modified":"2018-04-25T14:54:48","modified_gmt":"2018-04-25T21:54:48","slug":"land-in-sight-for-louisiana-riverboat-casinos-as-state-senate-passes-river-to-shore-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/land-in-sight-for-louisiana-riverboat-casinos-as-state-senate-passes-river-to-shore-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Land in Sight for Louisiana Riverboat Casinos as State Senate Passes \u2018River to Shore\u2019 Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Tuesday, the very day that the Horseshoe Southern Indiana was granted permission by the Indiana Gaming Commission to move its operations onto dry land, hundreds of miles south the Louisiana Senate was approving a bill that would also propel its own riverboat casinos onto terra firma.<\/p>\n

\"Louisiana
State Senator Ronnie Johns believes Louisiana riverboat casinos should be allowed to come onto dry land after 25 years in the drink. He wants to modernize the state\u2019s casino industry so it can compete with its neighbors. (Image: Sarah Camard\/Gambit Weekly)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Louisiana Senate voted 22-14 to pass State Senator Ronnie Johns\u2019 (R-Lake Charles) SB316<\/a>, which would allow the state\u2019s 15 riverboat casinos to make the evolutionary leap, provided all gambling activities are conducted within 1,200 feet of their licensed berths.<\/p>\n

Johns\u2019 bill would also remove a quirky statute from Louisiana gamble law that requires each facility to have an operational paddle wheel.<\/p>\n

Horseshoe Gets Lucky<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Indiana passed a similar bill in 2015, and not a moment too soon for the Horseshoe which has been shut down on at least five occasions due to the flooding of the Ohio river where it has been permanently docked since its establishment in 1998. The most recent closure was in February, at great cost to the state.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Indiana regulator on Tuesday approved a $85 million land-based facility \u2013 or should that be \u201cabove-land-based facility,\u201d because the Caesars-owned casino will be slightly elevated to negate the risk of flooding.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project further demonstrates our continued enthusiasm for and commitment to the state,\u201d said Brad Siegel, senior vice president at the Horseshoe. \u201cWe appreciate the Commission\u2019s decision today and look forward to continuing our positive working relationships at the State and local level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Expansion or Evolution? \u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Much of the debate in Louisiana, meanwhile, was whether Johns\u2019 bill constituted gambling expansion, since it proposes reworking the existing the cap on casino floor space. The current limit of 30,000 square feet would be replaced by a cap on gambling positions \u2013 or the amount of seats in front of slots \u2013 at 2,365.<\/p>\n

Johns said his bill would modernize the state\u2019s creaking casino sector, allowing it to incorporate bigger slots with the latest cutting-edge technology, which will help it to deflect competition from the casinos of Oklahoma and Mississippi.<\/p>\n

State Senator Danny Martiny (R-Dist. 10) agreed, and berated fellow senators who thought otherwise.<\/p>\n

We’ve got an industry that’s providing us with income, thank God,” Martiny said. “Everybody that’s against it, sure doesn’t shy away from coming to Appropriations and asking for some of that money.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Go back in your office,\u201d he suggested, \u201cget online and you can gamble all you want, and you know how much Louisiana gets out of it? Nothing!”<\/p>\n

Johns\u2019 bill now heads to the House.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Tuesday, the very day that the Horseshoe Southern Indiana was granted permission by the Indiana Gaming Commission to move its operations onto dry land, hundreds of miles south the Louisiana Senate was approving a bill that would also propel its own riverboat casinos onto terra firma. 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