Louisiana Riverboat Casino Law
April 6, 2018 Mike Epsy: Statment of Candidacy for United States Senate News August 28, 2015 KATRINA: Jordan family reflects on unforgettable experience Entertainment. Caldwell is significant because it resolves the classification of permanently moored Louisiana riverboat casinos under federal maritime law. Although such a riverboat casino is not a vessel for purposes of federal maritime law, it nevertheless qualifies as a vessel under the Louisiana Gaming Control Law.
Casinos are permitted in certain jurisdictions in the Bayou State. And Louisiana, like Missouri and Illinois, also allows gambling on riverboats. A riverboat refers to anything floating in the water, which results in many riverboats consisting of large structures on anchored barges near the shore.
Louisiana Riverboat Casino
The plaintiff, an employee of Grand Palais Riverboat L.L.C., was injured onboard the Grand Palais, a riverboat casino, and subsequently filed a claim for damages pursuant to the general maritime law and the Jones Act. The evidence established that the Grand Palais has been moored to its location since 2001, its primary purpose is dockside gambling, and its side was integrated into the adjacent land-based pavilion and hotel. Despite the fact that it could be returned to service as a vessel with some modifications, “it has been moored indefinitely to provide and maintain its primary purpose of gaming activities.” After considering United States Supreme Court precedents on the issue of what constitutes a vessel, the Supreme Court of Louisiana ultimately concluded that, “Although the Grand Palais was originally designed to transport people over water, and theoretically is capable of navigation, as a result of changes to its physical characteristics, purpose and function spanning nearly a decade and a half, it is no longer a vessel used in maritime transportation.” Accordingly, having concluded that the riverboat casino was not a vessel under the general maritime law, plaintiff’s suit was dismissed.
Riverboat Casino Shreveport Louisiana
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