Page 38: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 1993)

RIVERBOAT GAMING LEGISLATION UPDATE

Flurry Of State Legislation Keeps Yards,

Owner/Operators Hopeful

A Report From The Transportation Institute

Headed by Indiana's recently passed amendment to allow riverboat gaming, the flood of legis- lative news and activities coming from the five states which have al- ready legalized riverboat gaming, as well as those considering it, re- quires a sizable scorecard to keep up.

But keeping up is exactly what owner/operators and vessel build- ers must do in order to get the re- spective licenses and contracts in this burgeoning market sector.

Time is indeed money, and infor- mation is the key.

With the large number of bills, measures and issues which have been introduced, addressed, voted on, passed and defeated by the vari- ous governmental agencies in- volved, the Transportation Insti- tute of Camp Springs, Md. has in- troduced and continuously updates the "Guide to Riverboat & Ship- board Gaming Legislation."

The guide was devised as a con- solidated source for this legislation by determining and updating the status of relevant state and federal statutes.

The following is a state-by-state synopsis of the latest legislation news from The Transportation Institute's latest guide.

Beware, however, that the legis- lative climate has been changing so quickly that some material may be changed at the time of publication.

Also, this is merely a highlight of the information contained in the report.

For full details on the Transporta- tion Institute and its Guide, contact:

The Transportation Institute, 5201 Auth Way, Camp Springs,

Md. 20746; tel: (301) 423-3335. (Note: H.B. = House Bill; S.B. =

Senate Bill)

ALASKA

In 1993, H.B. 240 was the first gaming bill to be introduced since 1990. If passed, it would allow gam- ing aboard ferries.

The bill is currently in the House

State Affairs Committee. This first half of Alaska's two-year session ended in mid-May 1993 and will re- convene for the second half of Janu- ary 1994.

The regulating body is the De- partment of Revenue, and as of yet, locality restrictions, as well as tax and fee structures, have yet to be specified.

ALABAMA

In 1993 H.B. 533, authored by

Rep. John Rogers (D-52), proposed to amend Section 65 of the state constitution to allow riverboat gam- ing in Alabama.

Introduced in February and as- signed to the House Ways and Means

Committee, the bill died when the 1993 legislative session ended in

May.

No action was taken on the bill by the committee.

CONNECTICUT

Senate Bill 602, introduced at the beginning of the year, would have allowed casino gaming on vessels, specifically ferry boats, on the Con- necticut and Thames Rivers, and on other bodies of water designated by the division of special revenue.

The measure died in March. Also, the state, at last notice, had alive a bill which would permit operation of two land-based casinos.

The governor, who opposes the expansion of gaming in Connecti- cut, has vowed to veto the bill if it passes.

GEORGIA

In 1993 H.B. 898 was introduced to amend Article 2 of Chapter 12 of

Title 16 of the Official Code of Geor- gia Annotated, which would "rein- force long-standing statutory prohi- bitions against gambling on ships that operate in Georgia waters or from Georgia ports." It is currently in the House Industry Committee and will be carried over into the

January 1994 session.

ILLINOIS

There are presently seven river- boats operating in Illinois, and four other riverboats are scheduled to open in 1993.

In May the Illinois Gaming Board voted to reject an applicant's pro- posal for a riverboat casino in Sauget, 111. Also, an 18-member task force, chaired by State Rep. Louis Lang (D-l) is currently examining the question of casino gaming in Illi- nois.

Except for Rep. Lang, the

Speaker's Task Force on Gaming is composed entirely of business and community leaders.

The task force is holding public meetings on various related topics, including job creation and law en- forcement.

Three developers (Circus Circus

Enterprises, Inc., Caesars World Inc. and Hilton Hotels Corp.) have pro- posed a $2 billion casino/entertain- ment complex for Chicago, and lo- cally Mayor Richard Daley favors the idea, while Illinois Governor Jim

Edgar is strongly opposed to Chi- cago land-based casinos and has vowed to veto any such casino bill that passes the legislature.

Riverboat gaming is prohibited in

Lake Michigan, or Cook County (Chi- cago), a maximum of 10 licenses may be issued and the industry is regulated by the Illinois Gaming

Board, within the Department of

Revenue.

INDIANA

The state of Indiana enacted leg- islation to permit gaming on Lake

Michigan, the Ohio River and Patoka

Lake.

The riverboat gaming provision was included in the budget bill, which Governor Evan Bayh vetoed for reasons unrelated to the gaming provision.

The veto was quickly overridden.

The new law authorizes five riverboats on Lake Michigan (speci- fied sites), five boats along the Ohio

River (non-specified sites) and one for Patoka Lake in Southern Indi- ana. City or county governments have to authorize referendums and gain public approval before licenses would be considered. Gary, Ind.,an approved Lake Michigan site, has already gained public approval.

The law also establishes a seven- member Indiana Gaming Commis- sion to license and regulate the in- dustry.

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