Louisiana to vote on casinos’ move to land
Louisiana lawmakers will vote on SB 316 after a committee approved it in a 10-4 vote and sent it to the full House.
US.- The Senate Bill 316, which promotes riverboat casinos in Louisiana moving to land, has been approved by the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice in a 10-4 vote. The proposed legislation will now be discussed by the full House in order to be sent to the governor for final approval.
The bill was promoted by Senator Ronnie Johns, who explained that, at the moment, “Shreveport-Bossier City is taking a beating because the Indian tribes in southern Oklahoma are building huge casinos on the Texas-Oklahoma border.” However, he believes SB 316 will make an impact in this market and improve the situation.
Riverboats are allowed to conduct gaming within 800 feet of the coast but may soon stretch it out to 1,200 feet. That way, Johns’ bill would enable Louisiana’s riverboats to be larger than the ones in Mississippi and bring in more revenue.
It had already been approved by the Senate after a 22-14 vote and has the Bossier Chamber of Commerce’s support. Therefore, it is expected that it will continue to make its way to the governor’s desk and, ultimately, be signed into Law.
