Slot machines - initially banned in Missouri - were added to the table games.Ī political cloud is looming, however. In Missouri, six riverboat casinos poured $79 million into state and local tax coffers last year. As a result, more than 200 people lost jobs there, and Rock Island now receives only a fraction of the $4 million in casino tax revenue that it got two years ago. Those changes lured thousands of gamblers from a nearby casino boat in Rock Island, Ill. In Davenport, Iowa, a riverboat casino netted $14 million last year after legislators increased its operating hours and dropped a rule that had limited each gambler's loss to $200 a visit. One reason, however, is that lawmakers quickly relaxed regulations that had made casinos politically palatable in the first place. Aside from the loss of the two riverboat casinos, New Orleans's ambitious land-based casino has netted only a third of its projected revenue since opening in May.

That's especially true in New Orleans, a city that bears watching by the likes of Baltimore and Washington, according to several analysts. Although some southern and midwestern towns are content with their riverboat revenue, others are finding that the reality does not always match the promise. The turn of events has been sobering - even on Bourbon Street - and may give pause to officials in Maryland, Virginia, the District and elsewhere who are contemplating legalizing casinos.

The closings, forced by lower-than-expected revenue, left 1,800 people jobless and the City of New Orleans jockeying with other creditors to collect $3 million in unpaid taxes and fees. Both boats closed their doors last month, barely nine weeks after opening amid much hoopla and hope. There's nothing grand about them now, however. Anchored on the Mississippi River near downtown New Orleans are two massive, double-decker casino boats with the evocative names Crescent City Queen and Grand Palais.

Riverboat casino new orleans