Page 39: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 1993)

RIVERBOAT GAMING LEGISLATION UPDATE

IOWA

Legalized, licensed gaming was enacted into Iowa law in 1989, and the state currently has three excur- sion gaming boats licensed and op- erating, with a fourth pending.

There is no limit to the number of licenses issued, however, each re- quest for a license must be approved first by local referendum, and then by the Iowa Racing and Gaming

Commission.

In 1993 three bills were intro- duced but none were passed. H.F. 13 would have increased the allow- able space for gaming activities on an excursion gaming boat.

H.F. 143 would have raised the age restrictions for gaming from eighteen to twenty-one.

S.F. 358 was an attempt to change some of the regulations and increase gaming activities on riverboats and at racetracks.

Vessel specifications for Iowa call for a self-propelled excursion boat, with a maximum of 30 percent of the vessel's square footage for gaming, and a minimum passenger capacity of 500.

LOUISIANA

Review of Louisiana activity will be kept brief, not because of lack of activity, but conversely there has been so much action that much is already updated or outdated. S.B. 845, sponsored by Senator Francis

Heitmeier (D-7), was introduced in

April and assigned to the Senate

Judiciary B Committee.

Present law requires that gam- ing vessels be of new construction.

While retaining the new-construc- tion requirement, S.B. 845 would allow an operator who has been granted a gaming license, and who has entered into a binding contract for construction of a new vessel, to conduct gaming operations on a leased vessel for up to one year from the date the license was granted.

S.B. 1054, sponsored by Senator

Donald Kelly (D-31), would in- crease from 15 to 20 the maximum number of riverboat gaming licenses that may be issued.

It has been placed on the Senate calendar for consideration by the full Senate.

S.B. 761, sponsored by Senator

Ron Landry (D-19), would allow local governments to hold elections to approve or prohibit riverboat gam- ing. H.B. 1613, sponsored by Rep.

Arthur Morrell (D-97), would in- crease the passenger boarding fee for patrons of riverboat casinos from $2.50 to $4.

The regulating body for the in- dustry in Louisiana is the seven- member Riverboat Gaming Commis- sion and the Riverboat Gaming En- forcement Division (within the De- partment of Public Safety and Cor- rections).

MARYLAND was sponsored by Del. Sheila

Hixson (D-20), planned to allow vessel/riverboat gaming on Mary- land waters.

The bill, which was introduced in

February, died shortly thereafter in

However, House Bill 618, a bill which will allow casino gaming ac- tivity on cruise ships of any flag operating in state waters east of the

Francis Scott Key bridge in the

Chesapeake Bay, is on the verge of

March, in the House Judiciary Com- becoming reality pending the

In 1993 House Bill 1197, which mittee. governor's approval.

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Circle 279 on Reader Service Card

August, 1993 41