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re: Does anyone here know the back story of how Harrah's was able to be built in NO?
Posted on 3/1/22 at 9:21 pm to thadcastle
Posted on 3/1/22 at 9:21 pm to thadcastle
quote:
Does anyone here know the back story of how Harrah's was able to be built in NO?
0
Posted on 3/1/22 at 9:31 pm to Tiger in Gatorland
quote:
Wasn't there a tunnel underneath eventually designed to be an interstate highway\?
It's there, and was modified to be the casino valet parking garage.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 9:42 pm to Tiger in Gatorland
quote:
Wasn't there a tunnel underneath eventually designed to be an interstate highway\?
Still there. They turned it into the parking garage.
You can see the area where it was going to resurface and become the elevated expressway that would’ve blocked the city from the river.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 9:50 pm to Pfft
quote:
Lauberge and all the boat casinos have to have captain and crew. They also have to keep all the systems up and running. It is absolutely the most retarded thing I have ever seen.
This even includes all the life rings and life jackets.
They used to have to sail on a schedule, and be away from the dock for a minimum amount of time.
And the casinos were so cheap, this generally meant going 100yds from the dock and just sitting there for the next couple of hours until returning to the dock.
The sailing requirement was dropped, but in a typical LA fashion, was basically snuck through with minimal thought and discussion. Which is why no one stopped to think about whether a permanently docked boat needs to meet seaworthyness requirements or have a captain. (If it CAN sail is what makes it a boat, not that it actually DOES sail.)
Now the laws have been changed again so that water gaming licenses can get by legally by just being "water adjacent".
I'm assuming the new land based "river boats" finally won't need to be seaworthy or have a captain.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 10:14 pm to thadcastle
quote:
In 1993 a partnership of Hemmeter and Caesars World obtained the lease on the Rivergate property, which by law was the only place the land-based casino could be built in Louisiana, beating out a rival bid by Harrah's Entertainment. In August 1993, however, the State Casino Board awarded the state's sole casino license to Harrah's and not the Hemmeter-Caesar's partnership. The impasse of one company owning the only license and another owning the only lease was resolved when the two entities formed a joint venture under pressure from then-Governor Edwin Edwards.[4] The new entity, known as "Harrah's Jazz", established a temporary casino in the Municipal Auditorium in order to establish a cash flow while the main facility was under construction at the Rivergate. The temporary facility opened in May 1995 and a week later was closed due to a flood. The poor location of the site resulted in the actual gaming take falling 60% below projections at only $13.1 million per month.[4] Equally concerning was that 60% of gamers at the temporary facility were locals and not out-of-town tourists, undercutting the economic benefit backers hoped gambling would provide to the tourist industry.
Wikipedia
Posted on 3/1/22 at 10:20 pm to thadcastle
You forget how things happen. Things are not made legal so that the ones who make the laws can find away to do it legal.
Sort of like truck stop "Casinos" which are big rooms filled with poker machines.
You can't just up and decide to open one up. You can open a bar and be allowed to have 3 video poker machines, but you just can't up and open an establishment and put a lot of machines in it unless... pretty much you have to know someone who can get whoever needs to sign off on it, sign off on it.
And I am sure that comes at a price.
Its the same reason they used to bust people for having hold'em tournaments. Its against the law if the right people don't get their bags.
Sort of like truck stop "Casinos" which are big rooms filled with poker machines.
You can't just up and decide to open one up. You can open a bar and be allowed to have 3 video poker machines, but you just can't up and open an establishment and put a lot of machines in it unless... pretty much you have to know someone who can get whoever needs to sign off on it, sign off on it.
And I am sure that comes at a price.
Its the same reason they used to bust people for having hold'em tournaments. Its against the law if the right people don't get their bags.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 10:22 pm to Lsuhoohoo
I am not sure if that is native American land, but the water rules don't apply to the reservations. Like the one in Marksville.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 10:25 pm to beerandt
quote:
The sailing requirement was dropped, but in a typical LA fashion, was basically snuck through with minimal thought and discussion.
If I am not mistaking, I think there were a few situations in which people jumped off the boat when it was sailing. I know it happened at least once in Baton Rouge. And a few times in Shreveport and I think that played a factor in them shutting the sailing down.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 10:32 pm to thadcastle
The Rivergate was a beautiful structure. It’s a shame it was bulldozed. I remember the Nintendo Powerfest. Lol
This post was edited on 3/1/22 at 10:35 pm
Posted on 3/1/22 at 10:33 pm to thadcastle
I read a book 10-15 years ago called Winner Takes All about the titans of modern casinos. It was largely focused on Vegas, but I remember an excerpt about the Harrah’s in NOLA. They basically gave the lobbyist a blank check to sway local politicians. He gained something like 25lbs in a several month period from all the extravagant meals — you can assume pockets were also lined at those dinners.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 10:35 pm to Captain Rumbeard
The gaming area is actually on a barge floating on 2 feet of water.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 10:44 pm to Bigfishchoupique
quote:
Chris Hemmeter
Taught me how to play Pinochle. Pretty cool guy. His kids were kind of snobbish.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 10:54 pm to uveitis
LOL Had no idea.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 11:06 pm to Captain Rumbeard
It ridiculous but that’s how they got away with it not being on the river. Looks land based but actually on water. Two feet of it.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 11:49 pm to thadcastle
They paid off scumbag Edwin Edwards. Simple answer.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 11:51 pm to JackieTreehorn
quote:
The Rivergate was a beautiful structure. It’s a shame it was bulldozed
Agreed. It is also where the Joan of Arc statue used to be located.
Posted on 3/1/22 at 11:56 pm to thadcastle
yeah kinda, because every time i ran into wendell Gautier in the 90s he would tell me the whole story, again
Posted on 3/2/22 at 12:04 am to thadcastle
Posted on 3/2/22 at 2:35 am to 1860Tiger
uh, Rivergate looked great.
Anybody been on the Belle lately?
She aint what she used to be. They still have the cutaways in the windows (silhouettes)from over 20 (?) years when I first went. Meanwhile Hollywood is getting a huge addition. I've always wondered why Shreveport has so many casinos and BR two.
(yeah,yeah..3 posts :|)
Anybody been on the Belle lately?
She aint what she used to be. They still have the cutaways in the windows (silhouettes)from over 20 (?) years when I first went. Meanwhile Hollywood is getting a huge addition. I've always wondered why Shreveport has so many casinos and BR two.
(yeah,yeah..3 posts :|)
This post was edited on 3/2/22 at 2:40 am
Posted on 3/2/22 at 2:38 am to Bigfishchoupique
quote:
I could name most but won’t.
Folks might be intrigued to know the overlap between Benson's co-owners of the Saints before he bought them all out, this casino and the LTLA members who did well in the tobacco litigation in Louisiana.
Very intrigued.
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