However, casino-type gambling continued and even prospered throughout the southern part of the state. By 1840 New Orleans contained an estimated five hundred gambling halls employing more than four thousand people, but these halls paid no revenue to the city. Riverboat
TABLE 4.3
| Mississippi commercial casino statistics, January–March 2004 | ||||||
| Quarterly Survey Information: January 1, 2004–March 31, 2004 | ||||||
| SOURCE: Adapted from "Quarterly Survey Information: January 1, 2004–March 31, 2004," in Mississippi Gaming Commission—Public Information, Mississippi Gaming Commission, April 23, 2004, http://www.mgc.state.ms.us/pdf/QRpt1Q04-Property.pdf (accessed September 28, 2004) | ||||||
| Coastal Region | Number of employees | Gaming sq. footage | # slot games | # table games | # poker games | Activities in addition to gaming |
| Beau Rivage - Biloxi | 2,459 | 71,669 | 2,234 | 91 | – | 12 restaurants, retail promenade, marina, convention center, showroom, spa, and hotel |
| Boomtown - Biloxi | 913 | 33,632 | 1,120 | 21 | – | Motion theater, buffet, restaurant, cabaret, fun center |
| Casino Magic - Bay St. Louis | 1,107 | 39,500 | 1,210 | 30 | – | Golf course, hotel, RV park, restaurants, sporting events, Camp Magic, charter boats, spa |
| Casino Magic - Biloxi | 915 | 49,260 | 1,234 | 30 | – | Eclipse Showroom entertainment, restaurants |
| Copa Casino - Gulfport | 697 | 43,025 | 1,143 | 32 | – | Gift shop and restaurants |
| Grand Casino - Biloxi | 2,109 | 134,200 | 2,624 | 85 | 21 | Restaurants, theatre, hotels, arcade, and Kid's Quest |
| Grand Casino - Gulfport | 1,665 | 85,000 | 2,131 | 72 | 15 | Restaurants, entertainment barge, hotels, Lazy River, arcade, and Kid's Quest |
| Imperial Palace | 486 | 70,000 | 1,633 | 31 | – | Spa, pool, movie theaters, restaurants, shops, and showroom |
| Isle of Capri - Biloxi | 835 | 32,500 | 1,127 | 28 | – | Restaurants and live entertainment |
| President - Biloxi | 271 | 38,297 | 843 | 34 | 7 | Live entertainment, restaurants, arcade, fishing, valet parking and golf |
| The New Palace - Biloxi | 900 | 58,500 | 1,333 | 37 | – | Theater, hotel, gift shop, spa, salon, pool, and restaurants |
| Treasure Bay - Biloxi | 898 | 41,000 | 978 | 41 | – | Arcades, gift shop, restaurants, tanning bed, and travel agency |
| Region Totals | 13,255 | 696,583 | 17,610 | 532 | 43 | |
| North River Region | Number of employees | Gaming sq. footage | # slot games | # table games | # poker games | Activities in addition to gaming |
| Bally's - Robinsonville | 731 | 40,000 | 1,311 | 37 | – | Restaurants, hotel |
| Fitzgerald's - Robinsonville | 936 | 36,000 | 1,345 | 34 | – | Hotel, restaurant, slot and table game tournaments |
| Gold Strike - Robinsonville | 1,350 | 50,486 | 1,388 | 49 | 14 | Restaurants, Millenium theater, arcade, and hotel |
| Grand Casino - Tunica | 2,329 | 136,000 | 2,544 | 82 | 11 | Restaurants, RV park, arcade, golf gourse, Kid's Quest, and clay shooting |
| Harrah's - Tunica | 793 | 35,000 | 1,172 | 23 | – | Live entertainment, restaurants, and golf |
| Hollywood - Robinsonville | 985 | 54,000 | 1,626 | 33 | 6 | Restaurants, RV park, arcade, hotel, and pool |
| Horseshoe - Robinsonville | 2,554 | 63,000 | 2,115 | 76 | 12 | Live entertainment, restaurants, health club, and Blues Museum |
| Isle of Capri - Lula | 763 | 63,500 | 1,569 | 29 | – | Movies, concerts, and dining |
| Sam's Town - Tunica | 1,144 | 74,210 | 1,318 | 42 | 10 | Gift shop, restaurants and hotel |
| Sheraton - Robinsonville | 798 | 32,800 | 1,389 | 37 | – | Restaurants, hotel |
| Region Totals | 12,383 | 584,996 | 15,777 | 442 | 53 | |
| South River Region | Number of employees | Gaming sq. footage | # slot games | # table games | # poker games | Activities in addition to gaming |
| Ameristar - Vicksburg | 938 | 42,500 | 1,360 | 36 | – | Showroom and restaurants |
| Harrah's - Vicksburg | 330 | 20,000 | 657 | 13 | 4 | Restaurants and lodging |
| Isle of Capri - Vicksburg | 535 | 24,000 | 788 | 19 | – | Live entertainment, restaurants, and hotel |
| Jubilee - Greenville | 293 | 28,500 | 875 | 13 | – | Live entertainment and restaurants |
| Isle of Capri - Natchez | 363 | 15,783 | 648 | 11 | – | Live entertainment and restaurants |
| Lighthouse - Greenville | 260 | 22,000 | 801 | 10 | – | Restaurants and live entertainment |
| Rainbow - Vicksburg | 437 | 25,000 | 930 | 12 | – | Restaurants, gift shop, and hotel |
| Region Totals | 3,156 | 177,783 | 6,059 | 114 | 4 | |
| STATE TOTALS | 28,794 | 1,459,362 | 39,446 | 1,088 | 100 | |
FIGURE 4.2
casinos frequented by hundreds of professional gamblers floated up and down the Mississippi River between St. Louis and New Orleans. When the Civil War broke out, the riverboats were pressed into military service. In 1869 the legislature legalized casino gambling once again, requiring each casino to pay the state a $5,000 tax.
In Bad Bet on the Bayou (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2001), author Tyler Bridges credits Louisiana gamblers for popularizing craps and poker in the United States during the nineteenth century. Both were games of chance that had originated in Europe. The Louisiana state lottery began in 1868 but was outlawed in 1892, along with other forms of gambling, after a massive fraud scandal. Casino gambling went underground and continued to flourish well into the 1960s, thanks to mobsters and political corruption. Two of the state's governors, Earl Long and Edwin Edwards, were well-known gamblers. Edwards reportedly hosted high-stakes gambling games at the governor's mansion.
During the early 1990s the state legalized gambling once again, authorizing a lottery, casinos, and the operation of video poker machines in restaurants, bars, and truck stops. In 1991 the legislature authorized operation of up to fifteen riverboat casinos in the state; all but those along the Red River were required to make regularly scheduled cruises. The riverboat casinos were required to be at least 150 feet long and decorated to look like nineteenth-century paddleboats. The first riverboat casino, the Showboat Star, began operating in the fall of 1993.
In 1993 New Orleans received special permission from the legislature to allow a limited number of land-based casinos. In January 1995 Harrah's began construction on one in the heart of the city. By November 1995, the casino had declared bankruptcy. Following years of negotiations with the state and city, it reopened in 1999 but threatened bankruptcy again in 2001, blaming the state's $100 million minimum tax. The legislature cut the tax to $50 million for 2001 and $60 million for subsequent years to help keep the casino in business.
On April 1, 2001, the legislature ended the so-called phantom cruises of the riverboat casinos, ruling that it would actually be illegal for them to leave the docks. All riverboats were allowed to begin dockside gambling. However, their tax rate was increased from 18.5% to 21.5%.
Up to fifteen floating casinos are allowed in Louisiana. According to revenue reports published by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, the state's riverboat casinos admited
TABLE 4.4
| Louisiana casino statistics, fiscal year 2004 | ||||
| Licensees | Opening data | FYTD admissions | FYTD total AGR | FYTD fee/state tax |
| SOURCE: Adapted from "Fiscal Year-to-Date Activity Summary—Land-based for the Period of July 1, 2003–June 30, 2004 and Fiscal Year-to-Date Activity Summary—Riverboats for the Period of July 1, 2003–June 30, 2004 and Fiscal Year-to-Date Activity Summary—Slots at Racetracks for the Period of July 1, 2003–June 30, 2004," in Louisiana Gaming Control Board Revenue Report, Louisiana Gaming Control Board, July 2004, http://web01.dps.louisiana.gov/lgcb.nsf/b4569279468fa0c086256e9b0049dbd8/42f80c95dcb5321886256ed7007287aa/$FILE/June%202004%20Landbased%20Revenues.pdf (accessed September 28, 2004) | ||||
| Boomtown Bossier | 10/4/1996 | 2,420,594 | $107,263,349 | $23,061,620 |
| Harrahs Shrev. | 4/18/1994 | 2,989,249 | $145,402,026 | $31,261,436 |
| Hollywood | 12/20/2000 | 3,911,081 | $135,048,412 | $29,035,409 |
| Horseshoe | 7/9/1994 | 3,077,665 | $253,418,980 | $54,485,081 |
| Isle-Bossier | 5/20/1994 | 1,544,626 | $112,046,556 | $24,090,010 |
| Sam's Town | 5/20/2004 | 387,535 | $17,954,565 | $3,860,231 |
| Grand Palais | 7/12/1996 | 2,133,894 | $137,550,608 | $29,573,381 |
| Ilse-LC | 7/29/1995 | 949,816 | $34,640,556 | $7,447,720 |
| Harrahs Pride | 12/8/1993 | 1,889,679 | $101,722,786 | $21,870,399 |
| Harrahs Star | 10/24/1993 | 1,024,142 | $49,878,501 | $10,723,878 |
| Ballys | 7/7/1995 | 1,342,236 | $60,565,045 | $11,328,563 |
| Boomtown N.O. | 8/6/1994 | 2,337,596 | $113,639,322 | $24,432,454 |
| Treasure Chest | 9/5/1994 | 1,602,186 | $110,715,810 | $23,803,899 |
| Argosy | 9/30/1994 | 1,148,023 | $82,039,244 | $17,638,438 |
| Casino Rouge | 12/28/1994 | 1,508,814 | $104,769,736 | $22,525,493 |
| Riverboat total | 28,267,136 | $1,566,655,498 | $335,138,011 | |
| Harrah's New Orleans | 10/26/1999 | 6,593,077 | $300,251,946 | $62,354,386 |
| Delta Downs (slots) | 2/13/2002 | 1,597,158 | $130,986,745 | $19,870,690 |
| Harrahs LA Downs (slots) | 5/21/2003 | 1,726,632 | $63,860,519 | $9,687,641 |
| Evangeline Downs (slots) | 12/19/2003 | 1,177,956 | $37,820,975 | $5,737,442 |
| Racetrack total (slots) | 4,501,746 | $232,668,239 | $35,295,773 | |
| Casino total | 39,361,959 | $2,099,575,683 | $432,788,170 | |
just over twenty-eight million people during fiscal year 2004 (July 2003–June 2004). (See Table 4.4.) This number is down from thirty-one million people admitted during fiscal year 2002. Total adjusted gross revenue for the river-boats in fiscal year 2004 was $1.57 billion. The state's one land-based casino in New Orleans admitted nearly 6.6 million people and had gross revenue of $300 million. Although attendance was slightly down from previous years, the casino made more money. Its gross revenue increased by 14.5% between 2002 and 2004.
Three racinos grossed nearly $233 million in slots revenue during fiscal year 2004. Slot machines at racetracks are relatively new in Louisiana. The first racino began operating in 2002 and was joined in 2003 by two more establishments.
Total gross casino revenue in Louisiana for fiscal year 2004 was $2.1 billion, up from $1.8 billion during fiscal year 2001 and $1.4 billion during fiscal year 1999. (See Figure 4.3.) The state took in approximately $433 million in taxes from the casinos/racinos during fiscal year 2004. This is up from $400 million collected during fiscal year 2001.
There are four major markets in the state: Shreveport–Bossier City, New Orleans, Lake Charles, and Baton Rouge. The Shreveport market was the tenth-largest casino market in the United States in 2002, according to the AGA. A wide variety of games are allowed at Louisiana casinos, including blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, baccarat, keno, bingo, big six wheel, and slot machines. The state's video gaming division reports that there were 14,296 slot machines at noncasino locations as of June 2004, primarily truck stops, bars, and restaurants.
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