{{Short description|Casino on a riverboat in the United States}} [[File:Casino Boat on the Mississippi River, Natchez, Mississippi, 04101u.jpg|thumb|[[Isle of Capri Casinos|Isle of Capri]] casino barge on the Mississippi River in [[Natchez, Mississippi]], 2008 (closed 2015)]] [[File:Bossier City September 2015 07 (Sam's Town riverboat casino).jpg|thumb|[[Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, Shreveport|Sam's Town]] riverboat casino on the [[Red River of the South|Red River]], Shreveport, Louisiana]]
A '''riverboat casino''' is a [[casino]] which operates on board a [[riverboat]]. Such casinos are found in several states in the [[United States]] with frontage on the [[Mississippi River]] and its tributaries, or along the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Zaretsky |first=Adam M. |date=July 1, 1994 |title=Letting the Good Times Roll on Riverboat Casinos |url=https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/july-1994/emlaissez-le-bon-temps-rouletteem-letting-the-good-times-roll-on-riverboat-casinos |access-date=2026-04-29 |website=Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Naval Architecture Riverboat Gaming On The Mississippi |url=https://www.marinelink.com/article/naval-architecture/riverboat-gaming-the-mississippi-734 |access-date=2026-04-29 |website=MarineLink}}</ref> In the 19th century, gambling on riverboats was a common but illegal practice. Several states legalized this type of casino in the early 1990s, in order to enable gambling while limiting the areas where casinos could be constructed. In some cases, the operation of the riverboat is a [[legal fiction]], and the casino is permanently [[mooring|moored]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Stutz |first=Howard |date=2015-08-30 |title=Gulf Coast gaming rebuilds after casino industry’s ‘single-biggest disaster’ |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/gulf-coast-gaming-rebuilds-after-casino-industrys-single-biggest-disaster/ |access-date=2026-04-29 |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>
The legalization of riverboat casinos was in part a response to the federal [[Indian Gaming Regulatory Act]] of 1988, which allowed casinos to open on [[Native American reservations]] in much of the United States. States with few or no reservations sought to keep the tax revenues associated with gambling from going to states where Native American casinos were opening up.<ref name=nelson/>{{rp|18}}
The use of riverboat casinos has declined in the 21st century, as most states have permitted casinos to operate on land, increasing capacity and improving the safety of gambling structures – particularly after several floating casinos were destroyed by [[Hurricane Katrina]] in 2005. As of December 31, 2023, the [[American Gaming Association]] reports that there are 64 riverboat casinos operating in six states: [[Illinois]], [[Indiana]], [[Iowa]], [[Louisiana]], [[Mississippi]], and [[Missouri]]. Missouri is the only state where all operating casinos are riverboats.<ref name=aga24>[https://www.americangaming.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AGA-State-of-the-States-2024.pdf "State of the States 2024"], [[American Gaming Association]], 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2026.</ref>{{rp|14}}
==History== Paddlewheel riverboats had long been used on the Mississippi River and its tributaries to transport passengers and freight. After railroads largely superseded them, in the 20th century, they were more frequently used for entertainment excursions, sometimes for several hours, than for passage among riverfront towns. They were often a way for people to escape the heat of the town, as well as to enjoy live music and dancing. Gambling was also common on the riverboats, in card games and via slot machines.
When riverboat casinos were first approved in the late 20th century by the states, which generally prohibited gaming on land, these casinos were required to be located on ships that could sail away from the dock.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Klein |first=Allison |date=2005-09-07 |title=Floating Casinos Down on Their Luck |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2005/09/07/floating-casinos-down-on-their-luck/d065b9cf-92de-4593-b6c6-cfe9e06bf9dc/ |access-date=2026-04-29 |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> In some areas, gambling was allowed only when the ship was sailing, as in the traditional excursions. They were approved in states with frontage along the Mississippi and its tributaries, including Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri. Illinois also allowed limited riverboat casinos in the [[Chicago metropolitan area]], which has a Mississippi River connection through the [[Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal]], while [[Northwest Indiana]] has three 'riverboat' casinos in harbors along [[Lake Michigan]].
An unusual situation occurred on the [[Potomac River]] in the mid-20th century due to a quirk in the state border between [[Maryland]] and [[Virginia]]. The border is not in the middle of the river, rather it is at the low water mark on the Virginia side such that the entire river is in Maryland (except for small portions in the [[District of Columbia]]). As a result, there were several riverboat casinos docked off of the Virginia shoreline in the 1950s, when gambling was legal in parts of Maryland, but not Virginia. As the river was in Maryland, visitors could park in Virginia, and walk across a pier, crossing the state line in the process. There was no law in Maryland against having casinos on land, but this spared Virginia residents the trouble of having to cross the river, which could involve driving a significant distance out of the way to the nearest bridge.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Virginia-Maryland Boundary|url=http://www.virginiaplaces.org/boundaries/mdboundary.html#:~:text=The%20Potomac%20River%20divides%20Maryland,the%20middle%20of%20the%20river.|access-date=2021-01-27|website=www.virginiaplaces.org}}</ref>
As an example, in 1994, Missouri voters approved amending the state constitution to allow "games of chance" on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. By 1998, "according to the state Gaming Commission, just three of the 16 operations comprising Missouri's $652-million riverboat gambling industry [were] clearly on the main river channel." The state supreme court had ruled that boats had to be "solely over and in contact with the surface" of the rivers.<ref name="sloca"/> Several casinos had been on riverboats located in a [[moat]] or an area with water adjacent to a navigable [[waterway]], leading them to be referred to as "boats in moats".<ref name="sloca">{{cite news|last1=Sloca|first1=Paul|title=Missouri's 'Boats in Moats' Get That Sinking Feeling|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jan-18-mn-9506-story.html|access-date=3 April 2015|work=[[Associated Press]]|date=18 January 1998}}</ref> The state legislatures were unwilling to give up the revenues generated by gambling. Over time, they allowed gaming casinos to be built on stilts, though with the requirement they had to be over navigable water.
[[Image:Casino Queen.jpg|thumb|right|The ''Casino Queen,'' a riverboat casino formerly located on the [[Illinois]] side of the [[Mississippi River]] near [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]]]] Following [[Hurricane Katrina]] in 2005, which destroyed most riverboat casinos and their associated facilities of hotels, restaurants, etc., in states along the Gulf Coast, several states changed their enabling legislation or amended constitutions. They permitted such casinos to be built on land within certain geographic limits from a navigable waterway. Most of [[Mississippi]]'s Gulf Coast riverboat casinos have been rebuilt on beachfronts with solid foundation systems since the hurricane.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-10-17 |title=Mississippi casinos to rebuild on solid ground |url=https://www.yaycasino.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205035312/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna9729436 |archive-date=2020-12-05 |access-date=2026-04-29 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2005-10-17 |title=Mississippi Approves Onshore Gambling as Biloxi Looks to Rebuild |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/weather-july-dec05-rebuilding_biloxi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825193338/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/weather-july-dec05-rebuilding_biloxi |archive-date=2019-08-25 |access-date=2026-04-29 |website=PBS News |language=en-us}}</ref>
==Laws and history by state== ===Illinois=== When Iowa legislators first proposed the legalization of riverboat gambling in the [[Quad Cities]] area in 1986, their counterparts in Illinois were concerned about the impact on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities, particularly on the [[Quad City Downs]] racetrack in [[East Moline, Illinois|East Moline]].<ref>Dahlen, Ann. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-dispatch/196182341/ "Illinois Q-C legislators cool to riverboat gambling idea"], ''[[Moline Dispatch]]'', September 23, 1986, page 10.</ref> State legislators from the Moline area were split: Representative [[Bob DeJaegher]] led a push to pre-emptively ban riverboat casinos in Illinois, while Senator [[Denny Jacobs]] introduced a bill to legalize them. DeJaegher's proposed ban was passed on the same day in May 1987 that the Iowa House of Representatives voted to legalize the casinos.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-rock-island-argus/196216000/ "Lawmakers disagree on riverboat gambling"], ''[[Rock Island Argus]]'', May 6, 1987, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-rock-island-argus/196216240/ page A2].</ref> Neither measure was taken up in that state's senate before the end of their 1987 sessions, and neither state took action in 1988.<ref name=iltimeline>Seitz, Patrick, and Diane Ross. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-dispatch/196215743/ "Iowa gives Illinois law mixed reviews; Riverboat gambling: a timeline of success; Governors discuss cooperation on gambling"], ''[[Moline Dispatch]]'', January 13, 1990, page A2.</ref>
After Iowa passed its legislation in April 1989, interest in Jacobs' bill was revived. Because House Speaker [[Mike Madigan]] and other Chicago-area leaders opposed the proposal, riverboat casinos were to be limited only to the Quad Cities, [[Peoria, Illinois|Peoria]], and [[Rockford, Illinois|Rockford]].<ref name=iltimeline/> To gain Republican support for the Democratic bill, Republican governor [[Jim Thompson (Illinois politician)|James R. Thompson]] suggested adding a provision that would freeze property taxes for the [[Arlington Park]] racetrack, still recovering from its 1985 fire. This compromise worked in the [[Illinois Senate|Senate]], where it passed on June 30, 1989, but failed in the [[Illinois House of Representatives|House]] the same day.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-dispatch/196236069/ "Odds lengthen on riverboat gambling"], ''[[Moline Dispatch]]'', July 1, 1989, page A2.</ref> Despite efforts to revive the bill in October, it was not taken up in either chamber before the legislative session ended in November.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-register-mail/196256822/ "Riverboat gambling sinks until next year"], [[Associated Press]], ''[[Galesburg Register-Mail]]'', November 3, 1989, page D-5.</ref>
However, when the next legislative session began in January 1990, the Jacobs bill was quickly brought back. On January 11, it came up for a vote in both chambers. In the House, the Riverboat Gambling Act passed by one vote, after [[Richard Mautino]] changed his vote mid-tally. The bill passed the Senate nine minutes later by two votes.<ref name=burrows>Burrows, Kenda, and Diane Ross. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-dispatch/196257688/ "Riverboat gambling passes by one vote"], ''[[Moline Dispatch]]'', January 12, 1990, page A6.</ref> Governor Thompson signed the bill on February 7,<ref name=ross-ramif>Ross, Diane. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-rock-island-argus/196257799/ "Ramifications of riverboat gambling bill are explained"], ''[[Rock Island Argus]]'', February 11, 1990, page B6.</ref> thanking the legislature "for helping me beat Iowa" (since Illinois' law would go into effect three months earlier than Iowa's).<ref name=iltimeline/>
The law established the [[Illinois Gaming Board]]. It allowed riverboat casino operations on the Mississippi River, and on the [[Illinois River]] south of [[Marshall County, Illinois|Marshall County]], to begin January 1, 1991, and on all other navigable waters of the state except [[Lake Michigan]] and any part of [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook County]] on March 1, 1992. The Board was empowered to issue five licenses in 1991, four on the Mississippi and one on the Illinois, and another five in 1992. Gambling would not be allowed while the boats were docked. Legislators had promised to set a maximum loss per person per casino visit of $500, but this provision was left out of the law as passed.<ref name=burrows/><ref name=ross-ramif/> This was initially said to be a mistake that would be fixed by the passage of a "cleanup bill", but the fix was never passed.<ref>Ross, Diane. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/southtown-star/196258198/ "No lid for boat gaming"], ''[[Southtown Star]]'', June 10, 1990, page A-6.</ref>
While riverboat gambling was technically legal in Illinois before Iowa, no casinos were licensed in Illinois before Iowa's opened on April 1, 1991. The first riverboat casino in Illinois, the ''[[Argosy Casino Alton|Alton Belle]]'', began operating on September 10, 1991.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-dispatch/196271546/ "Riverboat gambling floats in Alton"], [[United Press International]], via the ''[[Moline Dispatch]]'', September 11, 1991, page A7.</ref> The Illinois Gaming Act of 1999 modified the law to allow gambling to take place on permanently moored barges, responding to previous similar changes in Iowa.<ref>[https://www.ilga.gov/documents/legislation/publicacts/pubact91/acts/91-0040.html "Public Act 91-0040"], State of Illinois, 91st General Assembly, June 1999. Retrieved April 25, 2026.</ref><ref>Patterson, John C. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/herald-and-review/196275679/ "Gambling plan moves to Illinois Senate"], ''[[Decatur Herald and Review]]'', May 24, 1999, page A14.</ref>
Beginning in 2009, Illinois has allowed bars and taverns to operate Video Gaming Terminals, low-stakes [[slot machine]]s, in thousands of locations across the state. This led to a reduction in revenue at the state's riverboat casinos.<ref>[http://www.azarplus.com/fotos/file/23_08_18/AGA%202018%20USA%20%20State%20of%20the%20States%20Report_FINAL.pdf "State of the States 2018"], [[American Gaming Association]], 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2026.</ref>{{rp|30–32}} Subsequently, the state passed gaming expansion legislation in 2019, allowing casinos to operate on land for the first time and expanding the total number of statewide casino licenses from 10 (where it had been since 1992) to 16. As of December 31, 2024, six casinos in Illinois still operate as riverboats or moored barges although it is no longer required.<ref name=aga25>[https://www.americangaming.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/AGA-State-of-the-States-2025.pdf "State of the States 2025"], [[American Gaming Association]], 2025. Retrieved April 25, 2026.</ref>{{rp|14,44–46}}
===Indiana=== {{Main|Gambling in Indiana#Casinos}} Riverboat gambling was legalized in Indiana in 1993, with a maximum of 11 casino permits to be made available by the state: five on [[Lake Michigan]], five along the [[Ohio River]], and one in [[Patoka Lake]]. The first riverboat casino in Indiana was the [[Casino Aztar Evansville]], which opened in 1995. In 2015, the legislature amended the casino law to allow the state's riverboat casinos to move into land-based facilities on their existing sites, to help them remain competitive with casinos in neighboring states.<ref>{{cite news|title=Land-based option gets mixed reviews from casino operators|newspaper=Post-Tribune|location=Merrillville, IN|author=Karen Caffarini|date=May 1, 2015|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-land-base-side-st-0503-20150501-story.html|accessdate=2017-10-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Jackpot! Land-based casinos win at Statehouse|newspaper=The Times of Northwest Indiana|author=Dan Carden|date=May 8, 2015|url=http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/jackpot-land-based-casinos-win-at-statehouse/article_064151a1-15c9-5639-b816-d20398d155cf.html|accessdate=2017-10-20}}</ref> As of December 31, 2024, six casinos in Indiana still operate as riverboats or moored barges, while another five casinos have relocated to land-based structures.<ref name=aga25/>{{rp|14,47–49}}
===Iowa=== Iowa was the first state to move to legalize modern riverboat casinos, passing a bill to do so in 1989. This was in part a response to the passage of the federal [[Indian Gaming Regulatory Act]] of 1988, which allowed casinos to open on [[Native American reservations]] in neighboring Minnesota and Wisconsin. Since Iowans would be traveling to new nearby casinos to gamble no matter what the state did, legalizing riverboat casinos would keep the associated tax revenues in the state, bolster the depressed economies of the cities where the boats docked, and revive a mythologized part of the region's past.<ref name=nelson>Nelson, Michael. [https://archive.org/details/howsouthjoinedga0000nels/page/18 ''How the South Joined the Gambling Nation: The Politics of State Policy Innovation''], [[Louisiana State University Press]], 2007.</ref>{{rp|18}}
In January 1986, three state representatives from the [[Quad Cities]] area, along the Mississippi River, proposed a commission that would study the benefits and drawbacks of legalizing riverboat casinos.<ref>Davidson, Tom. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/quad-city-times/196060738/ "3 area legislators will propose: Riverboat gambling"], ''[[Quad-City Times]]'', January 22, 1986, front page.</ref> While their proposal was intended only to affect their immediate area, the proposal soon expanded to allow casinos on the [[Missouri River]] and several inland lakes throughout the state. The study committee approved the measure 6–4 in December 1986.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sioux-city-journal/196081069/ "Panel recommends legalizing riverboat gambling in Iowa"], [[Associated Press]], via the ''[[Sioux City Journal]]'', December 4, 1986, page A 5.</ref> The bill narrowly passed the [[Iowa House of Representatives|House]] in May 1987, by a vote of 52–47, despite attempts by the Republican minority to block it. The [[Iowa Senate|Senate]] declined to consider the bill in 1987 and voted it down in 1988.<ref name=iahist>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/quad-city-times/196112960/ "A history of riverboat gambling legislation"], ''[[Quad-City Times]]'', April 23, 1989, page 5A.</ref>
In its next session, the Senate rejected the bill again on March 1, 1989, by a vote of 28–22. However, opposing Senator [[George Kinley]] indicated that he would be willing to change his vote if the bill was amended to delay the beginning of legal gambling until 1991. When the amended bill was reconsidered on March 7, Kinley and two other senators switched to supporting the bill, causing it to pass 26–23.<ref>Boshart, Rod. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-gazette/196126656/ "Riverboat gambling wins OK"], ''[[Cedar Rapids Gazette]]'', March 8, 1989, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-gazette/196126692/ page 13A].</ref><ref>Seery, Tom. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/quad-city-times/196126716/ "House means new hurdle for gambling: Senate wounds could take a long time to heal"], ''[[Quad-City Times]]'', March 9, 1989, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/quad-city-times/196126761/ page 10].</ref> The bill returned to the House, where it was voted down 47–53 on April 11. However, again three members changed their minds, and the bill passed 51–47 on April 20.<ref name=iahist/><ref>Opfermann, Dave. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sioux-city-journal/196144795/ "Riverboat gambling clears House; Branstad signature sure thing"], ''[[Sioux City Journal]]'', April 21, 1989, front page.</ref> Governor [[Terry Branstad]] signed the bill into law on April 27.<ref name=ialaw89/>
Responsibility for regulating riverboat casinos was given to the [[Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission]], which had been created in 1984 with the legalization of [[Parimutuel betting|racetrack betting]] in the state. As initially written, the law stipulated that "games of chance" could only take place on a "self-propelled excursion boat", while the boat was cruising on the water, during the "excursion season" from April 1 to October 31, unless weather or other conditions prevented it. Casinos that followed these requirements during the season would be allowed to continue operating gambling games during the winter, while the boat remained docked. To maintain the quaint atmosphere of the riverboat, casinos were required to, "as nearly as practicable, recreate boats that resemble Iowa's riverboat history", and each individual patron would be limited to a maximum wager of $5 per play and a maximum loss of $200 per visit. Other requirements were that no more than 30 percent of the boat's floor area could be used for gambling; that each boat must have a separate, supervised area for children who would not be permitted to gamble; and that a portion of the boat be "reserved for promotion and sale of arts, crafts, and gifts native to and made in Iowa." Casinos were permitted to operate on any inland waters, not just the Mississippi, but only if the county of operation approved it by referendum.<ref name=ialaw89>[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/73.1/CH0067.pdf "Excursion Boat Gambling Act of 1989"], ''Laws of the Seventy-Third General Assembly'' Chapter 67, Iowa Legislature, pages 66–76.</ref><ref>[https://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php/RIVERBOAT_GAMBLING "Riverboat Gambling"], ''Encyclopedia Dubuque''. Retrieved April 22, 2026.</ref>
When the law took effect on April 1, 1991, three riverboat casinos were ready to begin operating on that date, becoming the first of their kind in the nation: the ''Diamond Lady'' in [[Bettendorf, Iowa|Bettendorf]], the ''[[President (1924 steamboat)|President]]'' in [[Davenport, Iowa|Davenport]], and the ''[[Diamond Jo Casino|Casino Belle]]'' in [[Dubuque, Iowa|Dubuque]].<ref>Brown, Dave. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-des-moines-register/196146059/ "You bet! Iowa casinos sail: 3 packed riverboats ply the Mississippi to cheering throngs"], ''[[Des Moines Register]]'', April 2, 1991, front page.</ref> In the years that followed, neighboring Illinois and Missouri also legalized riverboat casinos with looser regulations, attracting business away from Iowa's riverboats. In response, the Iowa Legislature removed some of its previous restrictions in March 1994, allowing casinos to operate while docked, eliminating the maximum wager and loss limits, and permitting more than 30 percent of floor space to be devoted to gambling.<ref>Seery, Tom, and Jon Leu. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-nonpareil/196147159/ "Gambling bill passes: Vote pleases potential developers"], ''[[The Daily Nonpareil]]'', March 31, 1994, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-nonpareil/196147254/ page 6A].</ref><ref>[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/75.2/CH1021.pdf "Gambling"], ''Laws of the Seventy-Fifth General Assembly'' Chapter 1021, Iowa Legislature, pages 30–35.</ref>
The law was amended again in May 2004 to remove the requirement that riverboat casinos must be self-propelled boats, allowing gambling to take place on permanently moored barges.<ref>[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/80.2/CH1136.pdf "Gambling — Miscellaneous Changes"], ''Laws of the Eightieth General Assembly'' Chapter 1136, Iowa Legislature, pages 474–491.</ref> This change benefited the [[Isle Casino Waterloo|Isle of Capri Casino]] in [[Waterloo, Iowa|Waterloo]], then under construction, which had been planning to construct a moat that its riverboat could circle around in. After the law was passed, the Isle of Capri Casino was built as a moored barge instead.<ref>Jamison, Tim. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier/196104420/ "Isle of Capri hopes it holds winning hand"], ''[[The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier]]'', July 11, 2004, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier/196104544/ page A6].</ref>
In May 2007, the construction of land-based casino buildings was legalized,<ref>[https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/iactc/82.1/CH0188.pdf "Gambling Games and Gambling Structures"], ''Laws of the Eighty-Second General Assembly'' Chapter 188, Iowa Legislature, pages 609–613.</ref> removing the incentive for casinos to operate on boats.<ref>[https://www.radioiowa.com/2007/04/19/house-votes-to-end-water-requirement-for-casinos/ "House votes to end water requirement for casinos"], Radio Iowa, April 19, 2007.</ref> Riverboat casinos have since almost completely disappeared in Iowa. The last remaining excursion boat casino in the state was the [[Casino Queen Marquette]], which was replaced with a building on land in March 2026.<ref>Gleason, Thomas. [https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_282a64fd-05cf-4e2f-9463-2bddaf270c2b.html "Clayton County casino's new landside facility open for business"], ''[[Dubuque Telegraph-Herald]]'', March 13, 2026.</ref> The [[Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs]] plans to leave its permanently docked boat for a land-based building, which will leave the [[Lakeside Hotel & Casino]]'s moored barge in [[Osceola, Iowa|Osceola]] as the only remaining riverboat casino in Iowa.<ref>Danielson, Dar. [https://www.radioiowa.com/2026/01/02/more-iowa-casinos-pulling-out-of-the-water-this-year/ "More Iowa casinos pulling out of the water this year"], ''Radio Iowa'', January 2, 2026.</ref>
===Louisiana=== The Louisiana Riverboat Economic Development and Gaming Control Act of 1991 allowed a maximum of 15 riverboat casinos to be licensed to operate in eight bodies of water: the [[Atchafalaya River|Atchafalaya]], [[Calcasieu River|Calcasieu]], [[Mermentau River|Mermentau]], Mississippi, [[Ouachita River|Ouachita]], and [[Red River of the South|Red]] Rivers, and Lakes [[Lake Maurepas|Maurepas]] and [[Lake Ponchartrain|Ponchartrain]]. Only [[paddlewheel steamer]]s built in the style of historic 19th-century riverboats were eligible for gambling licenses, and they were required to have been built after January 1, 1991, preventing existing Mississippi riverboats from converting into casinos. Ships were also limited to a maximum capacity of 600 passengers. The act was signed into law by Governor [[Buddy Roemer]] on July 18, 1991.<ref>Hill, John, and Lisa Teachey. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-star/198342051/ "Floating casinos round the bend"], ''[[Monroe News-Star]]'', July 19, 1991, front page.</ref>
The first riverboat casino in Louisiana, the [[Showboat Star Casino]] on Lake Ponchartrain, opened on November 8, 1993, although gambling was allowed to take place during a [[black-tie]] gala before the opening on October 28.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-advertiser/198331860/ "Rough waters greet Star Casino opening"], [[Associated Press]], via the ''[[Lafayette Daily Advertiser]]'', November 9, 1993, page C-8.</ref> Under state law, gambling could only occur while a boat was cruising on the water, but this requirement could be waived if there were safety concerns temporarily preventing the boat from leaving the dock. By November 1994, eight of the state's nine casinos were not leaving their docks at all, and some of the safety issues they claimed made it necessary to do so were challenged legally.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-town-talk/198347722/ "DA: boats must start sailing now"], [[Associated Press]], via the ''[[Alexandria Daily Town Talk]]'', November 17, 1994, page D-5.</ref> The cruising requirement was removed in 2001, allowing casinos to be permanently docked.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-review/198347843/ "Special session at a glance"], [[Associated Press]], via the ''[[Morgan City Daily Review]]'', March 22, 2001, front page.</ref> However, boats were still required to keep their paddlewheels spinning even if they were otherwise motionless.<ref name=ballard>Ballard, Mark. [https://www.nola.com/louisianas-riverboat-casinos-are-now-allowed-to-operate-on-land/article_71a6d3c5-54d1-5d35-90db-6e73540b1a89.html "Louisiana's riverboat casinos are now allowed to operate on land"], [[NOLA.com]], May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2026.</ref>
Initially, there was only one exception to Louisiana's requirement that all casinos must be on riverboats. State law was amended in 1992 to allow the construction of one land-based casino in downtown [[New Orleans]].<ref>Hill, John, and Lisa Roland. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-star/198346523/ "House draws line, rejects slot machine"], ''[[Monroe News-Star]]'', June 19, 1992, front page.</ref> The license to operate this casino was awarded to the [[Harrah's Jazz]] project in 1993, but this joint venture was canceled in 1995, and the casino did not ultimately open as Harrah's New Orleans until 1999. [[Racino]]s were legalized in Louisiana in 1997, adding competition for the state's riverboats.<ref name=aga25/>{{rp|58}}
In 2018, Louisiana law was modified to allow riverboat casinos to move into land-based buildings a maximum of 1,200 feet from their previous locations.<ref name=ballard/> As of May 2026, four riverboat casinos have moved onto land, while 10 continue to operate on riverboats.<ref>Boone, Timothy. [https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/louisiana-casino-revenue-growing-faster-than-national-average-thanks-to-expansions/article_931b2fff-e045-41c0-b202-c8ec71600412.html "Louisiana casino revenue growing faster than national average, thanks to expansions"], ''[[Baton Rouge Advocate]]'', May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 26, 2026.</ref>
===Mississippi=== Before riverboat gambling was legalized in Mississippi, the state had one [[gambling ship]]: the ''[[Europa Star]]'', which briefly operated out of Point Cadet Marina in [[Biloxi, Mississippi|Biloxi]], sailing into the [[Mississippi Sound]] and out past the [[three-mile limit]] where it was thought that the state government had no jurisdiction. The ''Europa Star'' operated in Biloxi from December 1987 to November 1988, shortly after a judge ruled that the state's laws against gambling in fact did apply to the Sound, forcing the ship to take longer trips out past [[Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands|the barrier islands]] and into the [[international waters]] in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. While the court case was pending, state representative Glenn Endris introduced a bill to legalize gambling in the Sound. This measure passed the [[Mississippi House of Representatives]] in February 1988, but failed in the [[Mississippi State Senate|Senate]] Finance Committee in March.<ref>Drown, Stuart. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/198107938/ "Tourism industry reels under double cruise-ship whammy"], ''[[Sun Herald]]'', November 12, 1988, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/198108002/ page A-4].</ref>
After the ''Europa Star'' left, the ''[[Copa Casino|Pride of Mississippi]]'' came to [[Gulfport, Mississippi|Gulfport]], offering similar gambling excursions to the Gulf beginning in February 1989.<ref name=stake-timeline>Lee, Anita, Steve Dickerson, and Tammie Cessna Langford. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/198181501/ "What's at Stake: Gambling supporters, foes want nothing left to chance; Coast's two ships will stay on course"], ''[[Sun Herald]]'', December 2, 1990, front page and pages [https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/198181655/ A-12] and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/198181671/ A-13].</ref> The proposal to legalize gambling in the Sound came up again shortly thereafter. As a compromise, it was agreed that gambling could take place on cruise ships in the Sound when they were more than 1,500 feet from shore, but only as part of voyages that traveled past the barrier islands and into the Gulf.<ref name=stake-timeline/> It was also limited to ships longer than 300 feet.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-press/198244063/ "Bill filed to allow casino gambling on cruise ships"], [[Associated Press]], via ''[[The Mississippi Press]]'', January 17, 1990, front page.</ref> The bill was signed into law by Governor [[Ray Mabus]] on March 28, 1989, and gambling in the Sound on the ''Pride'' began later that day.<ref>Branson, Reed. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal/198182532/ "Miss. Gulf gamblers get rolling right away"], ''[[Memphis Commercial Appeal]]'', March 29, 1989, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-commercial-appeal/198182625/ page A9].</ref>
The ''Pride of Mississippi'' left Gulfport for [[Galveston, Texas]], in November 1989. In its place, two 250-foot gambling ships began operating in December 1989 and March 1990: the ''LA Cruise'' out of Biloxi and the ''Southern Elegance'' from Gulfport. These ships could not offer gambling in the Sound, only in international waters, because they fell below the 300-foot minimum length to do so.<ref name=stake-timeline/> These developments, combined with the news of Iowa's legalization of riverboat casinos in April 1989, and the possibility that Louisiana might take tax revenues from Mississippi by doing the same, provoked the Mississippi state legislature to consider a broader legalization of riverboat gambling statewide.<ref name=nelson/>{{rp|17–19}}
A bill to legalize riverboat gambling on the Mississippi River was introduced in January 1990 by state senator [[Bob Dearing]]. The bill was considered extremely unlikely to pass, given the state's conservative politics and the recent failure of a proposal to create the [[Mississippi State Lottery]]. However, leaders of conservative activist groups, such as the [[Mississippi Baptist Convention Board]] Christian Action Commission, later admitted that they had failed to take notice of the bill when it was proposed and made no effort to mobilize against it.<ref name=nelson/>{{rp|19}}<ref name=minor>[[Bill Minor|Minor, Bill]]. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-press/198247449/ "Eyes on Mississippi: An amazing voyage for riverboat bill"], ''[[The Mississippi Press]]'', April 4, 1990, page 10-A.</ref>
The bill narrowly passed the Senate on February 2 by a vote of 23–21.<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 3, 1990 |title=Senate approves bill that would legalize gambling on riverboats |page=1 |work=Clarion-Ledger |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56478441/clarion-ledger/ |url-status=live |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=August 1, 2020 }}</ref> The Senate version of the bill had stipulated that gambling could only take place while boats were cruising in the river, but in the House, it was quietly rewritten to allow gambling while boats were docked, as long as they remained in "navigable waters".<ref name=minor/> This was done at the urging of Rep. [[Sonny Merideth]], who pointed out that cruising in the crowded riverway without ever entering Arkansas or Louisiana would be impossible.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nash |first1=Jere |last2=Taggart |first2=Andy |title=Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2008 |edition=second |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |date=2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=avs12QS3EZ4C |isbn=9781604733570 |page=218–219}}</ref> The House approved the bill 66–52 on March 7,<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 8, 1990 |title=Riverboat gambling still afloat after house fight; new roll of the dice possible |page=15 |work=Clarion-Ledger |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56478672/clarion-ledger/ |url-status=live |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=August 1, 2020 }}</ref> and the House amendments were approved by the Senate on March 14,<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 15, 1990 |title=Second Senate Vote |page=12 |work=Hattiesburg American |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56478696/hattiesburg-american/ |url-status=live |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=August 1, 2020 }}</ref> with some senators later admitting they were not aware that the House had modified the bill to allow dockside gambling.<ref name=minor/> Governor Mabus signed the bill into law on March 20.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 21, 1990 |title=Riverboat gambling bill signed by Mabus |page=1 |work=The Clarksdale Press Register |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56478733/the-clarksdale-press-register/ |url-status=live |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=August 1, 2020 }}</ref> Columnist [[Bill Minor]] wrote that it was the most surprising development in state politics since Mississippi [[Alcohol laws of Mississippi|legalized liquor]] in 1966.<ref name=minor/>
Under the 1990 law, riverboats could operate casinos if they were at least 150 feet long, capable of carrying a minimum of 200 passengers, and had a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of at least 6 feet. Casinos would be taxed $3.50 per passenger and 6.25 percent of all winnings over $134,000 in each month. Unlike Illinois, Mississippi set no limits on the number of casinos that could receive licenses, and unlike in Iowa, there was no maximum betting limit for gamblers. The law took effect on April 1, 1990, one year before Iowa's and eight months before Illinois', making Mississippi technically the first state where riverboat gambling was legal. However, no riverboat casinos were ready to begin operation at that time.<ref>Morris, Robert, and Lee Ragland. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56478580/clarion-ledger/ "Riverboat gambling, legal today, churns up questions"], ''[[Jackson Clarion-Ledger]]'', April 1, 1990, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/clarion-ledger/198248480/ page 19A].</ref>
Separately, the three counties with frontage on the [[Mississippi Gulf Coast]] were each allowed to hold a referendum on December 4, 1990, on whether to allow dockside gambling. [[Hancock County, Mississippi|Hancock County]], which had no gambling ships operating at the time, was the only one of the three to legalize gambling at the dock.<ref>Lee, Anita, and Louise Taylor. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/198249329/ "Coast splits on dockside; Proponents in Harrison: We'll be back"], ''[[Sun Herald]]'', December 5, 1990, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/198249536/ page A-10].</ref> [[Harrison County, Mississippi|Harrison County]], out of which both the ''LA Cruise'' and the ''Southern Elegance'' operated, narrowly rejected dockside gambling, but then legalized it in a second referendum held on March 10, 1992. The county's two existing gambling ships were not automatically awarded licenses for dockside gambling, however,<ref>Taylor, Louise, and Anita Lee. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/198250640/ "Yes, Yes, Yes: Record vote clears berth for Harrison; Opponents take defeat quietly"], ''[[Sun Herald]]'', March 11, 1992, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/198250774/ page A-4].</ref> and the first casino ship in Mississippi to offer gambling at the dock was the [[Isle of Capri Casinos|Isle of Capri Casino Hotel]] Biloxi, which opened on August 1, 1992.<ref>Taylor, Louise, and Kat Bergeron. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/198250956/ "Opening day"], ''[[Sun Herald]]'', August 1, 1992, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-herald/198251040/ page A-12].</ref>
The first riverboat casino along the Mississippi River in the state was the Casino Splash at [[Mhoon Landing, Mississippi|Mhoon Landing]] in [[Tunica County, Mississippi|Tunica County]], which opened on October 19, 1992.<ref>Biggs, Jennifer. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/clarion-ledger/198251805/ "Splash sets up ripples in Tunica"], ''[[Jackson Clarion-Ledger]]'', October 20, 1992, front page.</ref> By the end of 1994, the state had 21 riverboat casinos along the Mississippi River and 14 docked along the Gulf Coast. Some of these early casinos closed or consolidated while others expanded, the total number of casinos falling from 35 to 29 by April 1996, although overall revenues continued to grow. As of 1996, Mississippi had the largest riverboat-based gambling market in the nation, and was looking to surpass New Jersey to become the second-largest gambling jurisdiction behind Nevada.<ref>Hines, Regina. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-press/198252782/ "State casinos continue to expand; Coast gaming sites emerge as major players in the U.S."], ''[[The Mississippi Press]]'', March 31, 1996, pages 10-I, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-press/198252901/ 9-I ("State casinos continue to expand")], and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-press/198252953/ 9-I ("Coast gaming sites emerge as major players in the U.S.")].</ref>
On August 29, 2005, [[Hurricane Katrina]] destroyed or severely damaged at least nine of the 13 casinos moored along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In the aftermath, it was suggested that state law should be modified to allow gambling on land, so that the casinos could be rebuilt as sturdier structures capable of weathering future storms.<ref>Goldman, Adam. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-mississippi-press/198254155/ "Mississippi considering land-based casinos"], [[Associated Press]], via ''[[The Mississippi Press]]'', September 1, 2005, page 2-A.</ref> When the Mississippi legislature convened for a special session responding to the damage caused by Katrina, it amended the law in October 2005 to allow gambling to take place on land up to 800 feet from the Gulf Coast shoreline and, in Harrison County only, any place south of [[U.S. Route 90]].<ref>[https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/20055E/pdf/HB/0001-0099/HB0045SG.pdf "House Bill 45"], [[Mississippi Legislature]] Fifth Extraordinary Session 2005.</ref> As of December 31, 2023, Mississippi has 20 riverboat casinos and six land-based casinos along the Gulf Coast.<ref name=aga24/>{{rp|14}}
===Missouri=== Riverboat gambling in Missouri was enabled by the November 1992 passage of Proposition A, which established the [[Missouri Gaming Commission]] to regulate riverboat casinos. Much of the proposition's text was identical to that of Iowa's Excursion Boat Gambling Act.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/article/bethany-republican-clipper/198362008/ Full text of 1992 Missouri Proposition A] in the ''[[Bethany Republican-Clipper]]'', October 14, 1992, pages 11, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/bethany-republican-clipper/198362051/ 12], and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/bethany-republican-clipper/198362064/ 13].</ref> Casinos were only permitted on the Mississippi and [[Missouri River|Missouri]] rivers. Boats were required to leave the dock (when conditions permitted) before gambling could occur onboard, although the law specifically exempted the [[SS Admiral (1907)|SS ''Admiral'']] from this requirement. Riverboat casinos were also only allowed to dock in cities or counties where they had been approved by voters in a local referendum, and several such local option votes passed during the same election as Proposition A.<ref>Fitzpatrick, James C. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star/198366698/ "Riverboat gambling is passing"], ''[[Kansas City Star]]'', November 4, 1992, pages C-1 and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star/198366728/ C-9].</ref>
The [[Missouri General Assembly]] modified the text of the proposition before putting it into law in 1994. On the advice of Coast Guard officials concerned about navigation safety, the requirement that casinos must cruise on the river was removed. Instead, it was left to the Gaming Commission to decide, in the case of each riverboat, whether "the best interest of Missouri and the safety of the public indicate the need for continuous docking of the excursion gambling boat in any city or county." An unsuccessful effort to block the legalization was led by state representative and future U.S. congressman [[Todd Akin]].<ref>Fitzpatrick, James C. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star/198367050/ "Gambling foes ask if voters were misled"], ''[[Kansas City Star]]'', December 24, 1993, page C-3.</ref>
The first two riverboat casinos in Missouri, the [[President Casino Laclede's Landing]] on the ''Admiral'' in St. Louis and the [[Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles|Station Casino St. Charles]], both opened on May 27, 1994.<ref>Schlinkmann, Mark, and Phil Linsalata. [https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch/196009519/ "The Games Have Begun: Boats In St. Louis, St. Charles Bring Casino Gambling To State"], ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'', May 28, 1994, front page and [https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch/196009682/ page 7A].</ref>
The Schools First Elementary and Secondary Education Funding Initiative, a referendum passed in November 2008, forbade the issuing of any new licenses for casinos in Missouri, capping the total number of gaming riverboats at 13. It also removed the stipulation that patrons could lose no more than $500 per excursion, making Missouri the last state with legal gambling to remove its loss limit.<ref>[https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/2008/11/05/missourians-approve-casino-english-health/21513386007/ "Missourians approve casino, English, health-care issues"], [[Associated Press]], via the ''[[Columbia Daily Tribune]]'', November 5, 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2026.</ref>
In 2021, Senate Bill 26 expanded the definition of an excursion gambling boat to include any "nonfloating facility" structure located within 1,000 feet of the Mississippi or Missouri rivers, so long as there is "at least two thousand gallons of water beneath or inside the facility".<ref>[https://legiscan.com/MO/text/SB26/2021 Missouri Senate Bill 26, 2021], pages 92–93.</ref> As of December 31, 2024, the American Gaming Association continues to classify all casinos in the state as riverboats and none as land-based.<ref name=aga25/>{{rp|14,77–79}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Gambling}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riverboat Casino}} [[Category:Riverboat casinos| ]] [[Category:Casinos]] [[Category:Riverboats]] [[Category:Gambling ships]]