Karl Baron / CC
A study prepared for the Louisiana Department of Economic Development recommends that two riverboat casinos in Bossier City relocate. The study found if the two casinos moved, both revenue and taxes paid to the state would increase. Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones said with increased competition from Oklahoma, the findings are not surprising.
“For years Shreveport-Bossier led the state in casino revenue, but no one could have predicted that beginning about 2007 extending to today their revenue would drop by nearly a quarter,” said Jones.
The study recommended that Boomtown Bossier City move to the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain while Diamond Jacks should relocate to northeast Louisiana.
Jones said the reason for the drop in activity in the Shreveport-Bossier area can be attributed to the rise of big tribal casinos that lure visitors from the Dallas-Fort Worth area to Oklahoma.
“You take the interstate over and the first exit at Oklahoma is the world’s largest casino. They’ve got 8,800 gaming positions and they are about to expand,” said Jones.
Jones said he anticipates that if the casinos do decide to relocate, they will likely take advantage of the recently passed law that gives gaming establishments the ability to be built on dry land. The difficulty in moving a casino to north Louisiana would likely be political, as the area is very conservative in its support for gambling.
“We would approve the movement of those two licenses anywhere where the casinos would be welcomed by the local government and approved by the legislature. We are like the last in line to approve something like that,” said Jones.
