BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A rewrite of Louisiana's riverboat casino laws, to allow the gambling facilities to move to land, has started advancing in the Senate.
The proposal by Sen. Ronnie Johns received the backing Tuesday of a Senate judiciary committee after nearly getting derailed over concerns the casinos do too little contracting with minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
Johns, a Lake Charles Republican, pledged to hold a meeting with casino representatives and senators who expressed the concerns before bringing the legislation to a full Senate vote.
The measure would allow Louisiana's 15 riverboat casinos to conduct gambling activities within 1,200 feet on land from where the riverboat is berthed and remove the requirement the riverboats have an operable paddlewheel. It also would redefine the limits on gambling space.
-by AP reporter Melinda Deslatte
