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Riverboat Casinos – Why Do They Need To Be On Water?

When it comes to US laws and in particular those associated with gambling, some things just seem to be a hot mess. Take riverboat gambling. There are some State laws that require that gambling can only take place on a moving riverboat. Yet in other States, it's perfectly legal to gamble on riverboats that no longer move as they are now permanently docked. Other riverboats are actually pulled from the water and are now situated on dry land, many miles away from any lake or river.

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Why Do Some Casinos Have to Be on Water?

When most people think about casinos, they imagine them being on the land. When you consider the sheer size of the world’s most famous casino resorts, then this is no surprise. But did you realize that quite a large number of gambling establishments actually sit on bodies of water? For example, many of these will be what is known as “riverboat casinos” which are permanently docked. This lead to the question of why casinos are built on water? Read on to discover the answers in greater detail.

Some States Only Allow Gambling on Waterways

Because we’re all now used to gambling at online casinos to win the jackpot using our mobiles at home with casinos like 22Bet Casino, it sounds crazy that some States only allow gambling when situated on the water. However, many casinos have no other choice. Below we’ve listed the different US States that feature water-based casinos, along with the specific rules that appertain to them.

Riverboat Casinos In Illinois

You can thank the Illinois Riverboat Gambling Act of 1990 for making concessions for riverboat casinos to exist. The very first riverboat casino was in commission to operate out of Alton in 1991. For this, Illinois State only allowed river boats that were actually moving for gambling activities. But since the amendment of this rule, boats can now dock permanently and work as casinos as well. On board, you’ll find all the usual traditional games such as roulette, jackpot poker, craps, blackjack, and any number of slot machines.

Indiana

Hoosier State passed the Indiana Riverboat Casino Act of 1993. This first allowed water-based gambling. In fact, it permits riverboat casinos on all major waterways throughout the State. In the same manner, as Illinois, Indiana used to require boats to be moving on the river before gambling could start. But thanks to the Riverboat Casino Act being amended in 1999, boats were allowed to operate for the first time as casino gaming establishments. You’ll find that Indiana’s riverboat casinos are full of the usual gambling fare, ranging from jackpot slots to blackjack. On the whole, the vast majority of these boats tend to operate on either Lake Michigan or the Ohio River. It’s also possible to find a few casinos that operate on inner State rivers as well.

Riverboat Casinos In Iowa

In 1989, the state of Iowa first authorized excursion boats for gaming. You can find these boats operating legally up and down the Mississippi River. Iowa has been keen to embrace gamblers and casinos and to that end has added Recinos and traditional Vegas-style casinos as well. You’ll find that the excursion boats offer traditional games as well as working as commercial venues. This puts them in a very good position to compete with their land-based brethren.

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Louisiana

Historically, Bayou State has always been associated with riverboat gambling. To that end, it’s no surprise that you’ll find plenty of riverboat casinos in the state. Originally, riverboat gambling was encouraged under the political banner that read “A historic riverboat industry is important to the States economy.” Because Louisiana is so dependent on the tourism industry, it’s no surprise that politicians are always pushing this as it’s a great way to bring in revenue. Though Louisiana does have both commercial and tribal casinos, you’ll find that the vast majority of gaming venues are actually on board river boats.

One interesting aside about riverboat gambling in Louisiana there’s a stipulation that used to state that all riverboat casinos must be paddle-powered. A recent amendment now allows riverboat casinos to move up to 1200 ft onshore. Obviously, this has made the whole paddle legal situation redundant today.

Mississippi

Mississippi has enjoyed a long history of riverboat gambling, though officially this type of gambling was only legalized in 1990. Since then, Magnolia State has developed a thriving water-based gaming industry. You’ll find plenty of casinos on the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast. Unfortunately, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina wiped out many of these casinos. Since then, State politicians have taken steps to ensure this could not be repeated. They have since amended the rules so that casinos can now be built up to 800 ft on shore.

Today Mississippi has an incredibly lucrative casino industry. In main, this is thanks to its very relaxed gambling laws. These include such things as no betting limits and 24/7 operating hours. As with many other casinos in this list, all riverboat casinos in the Mississippi will offer such games as blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, and slot machines.

Riverboat Casinos In Missouri

Riverboat casinos in the Show Me State were approved in 1992, though they did come with some severe restrictions. One of the most painful of these was that the boats could only operate as casinos for 2-hour cruises. Once the cruise is over the boat would need to return to shore and all gaming would cease until its next outing. Also, to keep an eye on the social acceptance side of gambling, players can only lose up to $500 on each cruise.

Another factor in trying to promote responsible gambling was that giving out drinks as comps was no longer acceptable. However, in 1986 Missouri lawmakers relaxed the restrictions and got rid of the 2-hour cruise rule. In 2008, the $500 loss limit was also ditched. Writing today, we can see that Missouri has one of the most lucrative gaming industries in the whole of the US.

Why Do These States Only Permit Casinos on Water

Each and every US State has its own stance on casino gambling. You have to consider that some States are very much against gambling altogether including Utah and Hawaii. These have come out strongly against gambling and all casinos a banned. Yet with many states’ finances always in a perilous position, it’s not surprising that today more and more states are legalizing gaming. Obviously, they ensure that all casinos have a proper gaming license. Thanks to some of these rather strange restrictions, some casinos can only legally operate on water. The main reason for this is that this is a way of circumnavigating local laws without having to amend their constitutions.

As a result, you’ll find that virtually all States that allow water-based gambling have their own unique rules and regulations in force. A good example of one of the strangest of these was the Louisiana paddle boat rule.

Are Riverboat Casinos Any Different than Regular Casinos?

In terms of location, water-bound and land casinos couldn’t be further apart. But having said that, when you visit a riverboat casino, you could easily imagine you are actually on terra firma. That’s simply because many riverboat casinos no longer have to move down waterways and can now remain docked in certain spots permanently. Mind you, it’s true to say that there’s an absolutely different feeling when first walking onto a riverboat casino when compared with walking into a brick-and-mortar one.

That’s because riverboat casino certainly hasn’t lost its romantic allure. You can feel as if you’re going back to the frontier days of the 1880s when riverboat gambling was extraordinarily popular. But other than this nostalgic feeling, there is not much to differentiate between gambling in commercial casinos, tribal casinos, racinos, or riverboat casinos. You’ll find that they all offer more or less the same games including blackjack, roulette, slots, and craps. In fact all the same games you can find if you want to win the jackpot online at an online casino like 22Bet Casino.