Sam's Town riverboat casino on the Red River, Shreveport, Louisiana A riverboat casino is a type of casino on a riverboat found in several states in the United States with frontage on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, or along the Gulf Coast. Like in Mississippi, casinos are usually riverboat casinos, but they are so big and unwieldy that they would never actually move. They are over water to satisfy the requirements of the law only. In the New Orleans area, you could go to Boomtown in Harvey or Treasure Chest in Kenner, but honestly, they are blown away by Harrah's as a facility. Charles Gaming (No. 2019-CC-1238), the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that a permanently moored riverboat casino engaged in dockside gaming is not a “vessel” under either the Jones Act or the General Maritime Law.

Contact Us; Address 7901 Independence Blvd. Building A Baton Rouge, LA 70806 Phone (225) 925-1846 1-888 295-8450 Fax (225) 925-1917 or 925-1945 Office Hours.

Introduction to Louisiana Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Louisiana slot machine casino gambling consists of 24 casinos including 16 commercial casinos, four tribal casinos, four pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines, and numerous small businesses across Louisiana.

Theoretical payout limits exist and monthly return statistics are available for non-tribal sites.

This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.

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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Louisiana*

The minimum legal gambling age in Louisiana depends upon the gambling activity:

• Land-Based Casinos: 21
• Poker Rooms: 21
• Bingo: 18
• Lottery: 21
• Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18

Louisiana has had a long history of illegal casinos, with the state alternating between raiding illegal casino operations and ignoring them. Eventually, pari-mutuel wagering received state-approval in the 1920s. The collapse of the state’s oil-based industry in the 1980s led to the extended presence of legalized gambling.

Louisiana was the fourth U.S. state to legalize riverboat casinos, approved by the state in 1991 along with the return of the state lottery. In 1992, an added provision allowed a land-based casino in New Orleans.

Negotiations began in 1993 for state-tribal compacts with Louisiana’s three federally-recognized American Indian tribes. A fourth American Indian tribe, federally-recognized in 2002, also negotiated a state-tribal compact. Each tribe opened their own tribal casino.

In 1997, efforts by the three pari-mutuel racetracks to add slot machines to their facilities were successful. Later, a fourth track received similar approval.

The gaming industry has become an important part of Louisiana’s culture and economy. Video bingo is the primary type of electronic gaming machine available.

However, the wording used in some parts of the state gaming regulations is ambiguous. For example, a loose definition for “truck stops” has allowed the addition and spread of video poker machines at many businesses across the state.

*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.

Slot Machine Private Ownership in Louisiana

In Louisiana, it is legal to own a slot machine privately if it is 25 years old or older.

Gaming Control Board in Louisiana

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board regulates the gaming industry in Louisiana. The LGCB works closely with the Gaming Enforcement Division within the Louisiana State Police.

Casinos in Louisiana

There are 20 non-tribal casinos, four American Indian tribal casinos, four pari-mutuel racetracks, and 12,903 video poker machines at 1,634 retail businesses in Louisiana.

The largest casino in Louisiana is Coushatta Casino Resort with 2,800 gaming machines and 70 table games.

The second-largest casino is Paragon Casino Resort with 2,200 gaming machines and 44 table games.

Commercial Casinos in Louisiana

The 20 commercial casinos in Louisiana including 15 riverboat casinos, four pari-mutuel sites with slot machines, and one land-based casino:

1. Amelia Belle Casino in Amelia located 79 miles west of New Orleans.
2. Belle of Baton Rouge Casino Hotel in Baton Rouge located 81 miles northwest of New Orleans.
3. Boomtown Bossier City located 216 miles west of Jackson, MS.
4. Boomtown New Orleans in Harvey located 11 miles south of New Orleans.
5. Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel in Vinton located 140 miles northeast of Galveston, TX.
6. DiamondJacks Casino Hotel Bossier City located 216 miles west of Jackson, MS.
7. Eldorado Resort Casino Shreveport located 217 miles west of Jackson, MS.
8. Evangeline Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel in Opelousas located 137 miles northwest of New Orleans.
9. Fair Grounds Racecourse & Slots in New Orleans.
10. Golden Nugget Lake Charles located 162 miles northeast of Galveston, Texas.
11. Harrah’s Louisiana Downs in Bossier City located 210 miles west of Jackson, Mississippi.
12. Harrah’s New Orleans Casino & Hotel.
13. Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge located 83 miles northwest of New Orleans.
14. Horseshoe Bossier City located 216 miles west of Jackson, MS.
15. Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Lake Charles located 163 miles northeast of Galveston, Texas.
16. L’auberge Casino Hotel Baton Rouge located 75 miles northwest of New Orleans.
17. L’auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles located 163 miles northeast of Galveston, Texas.
18. Margaritaville Resort Casino Bossier City located 216 miles west of Jackson, Mississippi.
19. Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino Shreveport located 216 miles west of Jackson, Mississippi.
20. Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner located 15 miles northwest of New Orleans.

Tribal Casinos in Louisiana

There are four tribal casinos in Louisiana:

1. Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder located 199 miles west of New Orleans.
2. Cypress Bayou Casino Hotel in Charenton located 117 miles west of New Orleans.
3. Jena Choctaw Pines Casino in Dry Prong located 201 miles northwest of New Orleans.
4. Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville located 163 miles northwest of New Orleans.

Other Gambling Establishments

As an alternative to enjoying Louisiana slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Louisiana is:

1. North: Arkansas Slots
2. East: Mississippi Slots
3. South: Gulf of Mexico
4. West: Texas Slots

Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Louisiana.

Our Louisiana Slots Facebook Group

Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Louisiana? If so, join our new Louisiana slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.

There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Louisiana. Join us!

Payout Returns in Louisiana

Theoretical payout limits are:

• 80% to 99.9% at non-tribal casinos.
• 80% to 94% for video poker machines at retail locations.
• Not available for tribal casinos.

Monthly return statistics are within Louisiana’s Gaming Enforcement Division Gaming Board’s Revenue Reports. Further, these reports offer return statistics for each slot machine denomination.

However, statistics are reported for non-tribal casinos statewide as well as within only four state regions with casinos sorted by region as follows:

• Baton Rouge Region: Belle of Baton Rouge, Evangeline Downs, Hollywood, and L’auberge Baton Rouge.
• Lake Charles Region: Delta Downs, Golden Nugget, Isle of Capri, and L’Auberge Lake Charles.
• New Orleans Region: Amelia Belle, Boomtown New Orleans, Fair Grounds, Harrah’s, and Treasure Chest.
• Shreveport/Bossier Region: Boomtown Bossier, DiamondJacks, Eldorado, Harrah’s LA Downs, Horseshoe, Margaritaville, and Sam’s Town.

The October 2019 report shows a state-wide return of 90.3% for all commercial casinos. Each region had the following player’s win percentages:

• Baton Rouge Region: 90.2%
• Lake Charles Region: 90.6%
• New Orleans Region: 90.1%
• Shreveport/Bossier Region: 90.3%
• State-wide: 90.3%

The slot machine denomination with the highest and second-highest win percentages for each region were:

• Baton Rouge Region: 50-cent at 97.9% and $2 at 92.6%.
• Lake Charles Region: $100 at 95.1% and both 5-cent and $10 at 93.1%.
• New Orleans Region: $500 at 120.8%, $50 at 101.6%, and 5-cent at 93.8%.
• Shreveport/Bossier Region: $25 at 93.2% and 2-cent at 92.89%.
• State-wide: $500 at 120.8% and 50-cent at 92.9%.

These reports helpfully include the number of slot machines with each denomination. For instance, there are only eight $2-denomination machines in the Baton Rouge Region where their average player win% is the second-highest for that region. So few $2 slot machines improves the likelihood of locating and playing these high-odds machines.

Riverboat Gambling In Louisiana

Less helpful are the limited monthly return statistics available from the Louisiana Gaming Board’s Revenue Reports separated by casino type. Unfortunately, these return statistics reports have insufficient information to calculate player’s win percentages:

Riverboat Gambling Louisiana

Summary of Louisiana Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Louisiana slot machine casino gambling consists of 24 casinos including sixteen riverboat casinos, four tribal casinos and four pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines. Further, there are 12,903 legal video poker machines at 1,634 retail locations across the state.

History Of Riverboat Gambling

Minimum and maximum theoretical payout limits exist for the non-tribal gaming locations. Return statistics exist for commercial casinos in four state regions, including for each slot machine denomination. Louisiana’s tribal casinos do not have theoretical payout limits nor do they offer return statistics.

Annual Progress in Louisiana Slot Machine Casino Gambling

In the last year, Harrah’s New Orleans went from second-largest casino to seventh place when they more than halved their slot machines from 3,800 to 1,500.

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• Previous: Kentucky Slot Machine Casino Gambling
• Next: Maine Slot Machine Casino Gambling

Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC

Tom Reeg was not impressed with the Belle of Baton Rouge when he was primary Eldorado Resorts and experienced the Louisiana-based mostly riverboat on line casino in his portfolio. It’s no shock, then, that Reeg, who took around as the CEO of the new Caesars Leisure corporation right after Eldorado and the primary Caesars merged earlier this yr, is satisfied to see it go. The 10-story floating casino has been marketed to a holding firm for an undisclosed total of cash.

Caesars reached an arrangement to unload its working rights to the Belle of Baton Rouge to CQ Holding Enterprise, which is guiding the Casino Queen brand name. Gaming and Leisure Homes Inc. (GLPI), which has owned the actual estate belongings, will proceed to hold on to its portion of the casino, and On line casino Queen will proceed generating the rent payments that experienced been aspect of Caesars’ yearly costs. As lengthy as regulators really do not uncover any purpose to hold off the sale, the last paperwork will be signed someday around the center of following 12 months.

Riverboat Gambling Louisiana La

Reeg apparently never appreciated the home and viewed it as an eyesore amid Eldorado’s products and solutions. When he appeared prior to the Louisiana Gaming Manage Board (LGCB), as CEO of Eldorado, this previous January to receive the regulator’s acceptance for the merger with Caesars, he spelled out that the residence was in these kinds of undesirable condition that he wasn’t even willing to devote the evening in one particular of its hotel rooms. He advised the LGCB for the duration of the hearing, “The point that I stayed at [Penn National Gaming’s] L’Auberge final evening is a remark on our perspective of the state of the Belle as it sits today.”

Eldorado had now gotten rid of its Eldorado Resort & On line casino in Shreveport ahead of the Caesars acquisition, leaving it with 5 attributes in Louisiana. Moreover the Belle of Baton Rouge, these consist of Isle of Capri, Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, Harrah’s New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier Town. The Louisiana Downs house is currently on the chopping block, as nicely. That house is set to go to Rubico Acquisition Corp. for around $22 million.

While there formerly had not been strategies to reduce its state footprint any more, COVID-19 may possibly pressure Caesars to rethink its Louisiana method. Horseshoe Bossier Metropolis has taken the most important strike in the condition from the coronavirus as its income has been slice virtually in half. It has currently forever closed its eating amenities and enable furloughed employees go, and Caesars has to be questioning the merits of holding the property going.

When Reeg satisfied with regulators in the point out to talk about the tie-up involving Eldorado and Caesars, he stated that the enterprise was prepared to spend $500 million throughout 4 several years to revamp its attributes in the state. It is possible that the business will need to have to change that determine, and it isn’t very clear if Casino Queen strategies on investing any dollars to make the Belle of Baton Rouge rather when again.