The state’s Gaming Control Board is still drafting its policy for riverboat casinos to move onto land, with the group aiming to have regulations in place by the end of year.
The rules won’t set a hard line, says Ronnie Jones, head of the board, because the gambling industry markets around the state are so diverse. Instead, the board would look at applications and casino properties separately and weigh the impact of each potential move on the surrounding community.
Recent legislation, approved by state lawmakers in the spring, not only allows floating casinos to move 1,200 feet on land from their designated dock but also changes the limits on gaming space from 30,000 square feet to 2,365 gambling positions. Both proposals were recommended by the Riverboat Economic Development and Gaming Task Force.
Three Louisiana casinos have hired architects to work on proposals to move, including the Belle of Baton Rouge and Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner. Jones declined to name the third casino because it has yet to publicly disclose its plans.
“We haven’t approved the rules, so (the casinos) haven’t made any proposals yet,” says Jones. “It was my intention as chairman of that task force to not just focus on what’s going to happen in three and five years. Let’s set up something that’s going to benefit the state and its citizens for the next 10 years and 20 years.”
Jones says he wants resorts with amenities that also have gambling, instead of just “slots in some building on land.”
Asked about factors driving declining revenues at Baton Rouge’s three casinos, Jones says he can’t pinpoint specifics, but his gut tells him it’s due to increased competition in the gaming community. Also, he says, East Baton Rouge’s smoking ban in bars and casinos is creating an unfair playing field compared to venues in Shreveport and Lake Charles, and that since the ban, gambling device usage in West Baton Rouge Parish has increased.
“You can only slice that entertainment pie so narrow,” Jones says.
Riverboat casino policies for moving on land will be set by 2019
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