Louisiana floating casinos to move to land
The state House passed a bill to change the casino landscape and sent it to the Governor for final approval.
US.- Riverboat casinos are set to move onshore after the Louisiana House voted 54-41 in favour of Senate Bill 316. The piece of legislation would have them move to land and rework their gambling space, should Governor John Bel Edwards sign it into Law as it is expected.
The bill had already been approved by the Senate through a 22-14 vote and was ratified by the House. Its author, Sen. Ronnie Johns, assured that it would modernise the industry after being unchanged for over 25 years. Furthermore, he explained that new technology and larger slot machines would be able to be accommodated in the gaming venues to help them compete with casinos in Oklahoma and Mississippi.
State Rep. Dodie Horton said: “Although I did not vote to allow riverboat gaming to come to Bossier City, the majority of (my constituents) did and the boats’ financial impact on our city, parish, and state are significant. In Dist. 9 alone, we have over 6,000 people employed at one of the casinos and this cannot be ignored.”
“The passage of Senate Bill 316 brings us to the modernisation for the casino industry that we have been needing for many years. This will assist northwest Louisiana in becoming more competitive towards neighbouring states’ gaming industries,” said Lisa Johnson, president and CEO of the Bossier Chamber of Commerce.
