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Gaming Control Board discusses riverboat casinos moving to land
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BATON ROUGE - Riverboat casinos in the state are now able to move on land. The Louisiana legislature approved new regulations this year.
It will be a new opportunity for facilities that have been around since riverboat gambling was first allowed more than 20 years go.
The state's Gaming Control Director says moving riverboat casinos onto land is not just about moving the gaming systems inside of the building, but it's more about building new facilities and amenities.
"What the task force intended to do was not just move the slot machines into some building on land. This was about building new resorts with amenities and having gambling by the way," chairman Ronnie Jones said.
According to Jones, riverboats make up 60% of the revenue that comes into the state.
There are three properties in the state interested in making the move onto land, including the Belle of Baton Rouge.
"It was my intent as chairman of that task force not to focus on what's going to happen three years and five years, well let's setup something that's going to benefit this state and its citizens for the next ten years and twenty years," said Jones.
In order to move onto land, the casinos have to provide an economic development initiative to the state gaming control board.
"We're going to look at each property separately based on where it's located," said Jones.
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