The regular session of the Louisiana Legislature is less than two months away, but Jeremy Alford says the state’s gaming industry—everyone from Louisiana’s 15 riverboat casinos and video poker interests to New Orleans’ land-based casino—is already engaged in policy discussions at the State Capitol.
“The early action points to a busy year for the gaming industry, and what could be the deepest dives on these issues the House and Senate have taken in recent memory,” Alford writes in his latest column.
The momentum comes courtesy of the Riverboat Economic Development and Gaming Task Force, which released a slate of riverboat-specific recommendations last week. Gov. John Bel Edwards has been generally supportive of the effort, but Alford says the governor’s office is still reviewing the task force’s work and waiting on bill drafts.
“Lawmakers and the governor have carved out a lane for the riverboats to plead their case for growth and enhancement, just as long as those activities don’t expand gaming operations or increase the number of licenses,” he writes. “Thing is, other interests are now planning to travel that same carved-out path in the upcoming regular session.”
Separately, there could be a legislative package to expand Harrah’s land-based casino in New Orleans, a move that sounds more like a push for additional hotel and dining space. Video poker operators and truck stops also are engaging in talks and plan to float their own package of bills in coming weeks.
Most of the attention so far has settled on the riverboat task force, which has suggested moving the fixed paddlewheel structures onto land.
“The backstory on the task force is the tale of two Ronnies—state Sen. Ronnie Johns, R-Lake Charles, who is considered to be a contender for Senate president next term, and Ronnie Jones, who chaired the task force and holds the same position on the Louisiana Gaming Control Board,” Alford writes. “They forged the original idea for the legal review, and they’ll be front and center in the debate to come.”
Jeremy Alford publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com. Follow him on Twitter, or on Facebook. He can be reached at JJA@LaPolitics.com.
