Louisiana To Become First Major Casino Market To ReopenOpening Was Originally Scheduled For Friday, But Gaming Regulators Pushed Back Opening Three Days |
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Louisiana was set to become one of the first states to reopen its gaming industry Friday, but the state’s Gaming Control Board announced Tuesday afternoon that it will be pushed back a few days.
Instead of a Friday reopening, Louisiana casinos are eligible to open on Monday, May 18. Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Monday that he was going to start the first of his multi-phase reopening plan Friday, which would allow businesses to under 25 percent of its normal capacity.
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board pushed back the next day and said that casinos and video poker parlors will take a few extra days to open their doors.
Louisiana was set to become the first state with a major gaming market to open the industry again. A handful of tribal casinos have reopened, with the first coming in Coeur D’Alene Idaho on May 1, while South Dakota, more specifically the historic mining town of Deadwood, is the only state to open commercial properties with a May 7 opening.
Louisiana is home to 20 commercial casinos, both land-based and the riverboat variety. In 2018, those casinos generated $2.56 billion in revenue and the state collected $607.7 million in taxes from the industry.
Despite the green light from Gov. Bel Edwards, the state’s most populated city will not allow its casino to open. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell will not allow casinos in the city to reopen during phase one.
Cantrell is taking a similar approach to Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, who will not allow casinos to reopen during phase one of his plan to reopen the Silver State economy.
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