Editorial: Casino-Boat Requirements Reflect Societal Change

A ballpark guess would indicate that modern riverboat gambling has been considered by society to be acceptable for at least a couple of decades. Many years ago there were gambling boats off the West Coast, and getting rid of them sparked the beginning of Las Vegas. Gambling at cards was common on steamboats. Nevertheless, if we want to get a read on how tolerant society can be and where it is headed, one can find clues in the history of modern riverboat gambling.

To keep this in perspective, we go back to the time when the gaming industry was offering inducements in an effort to get riverboat gambling authorized, state by state. Money for schools was one gimmick. But legislators in some states managed to reduce their normal school appropriations.

Before we review some of the curious changes that have taken place in the industry—remember, the boats are controlled state by state, depending where they operate—let us touch upon a news item that draws our attention again. The Indiana State Assembly is considering legislation that would make it unnecessary for casino boats to have propulsion systems.

“Why would that matter?” some might ask. Well, it matters to a few folks because each of Indiana’s nine casino boats has an 11-man crew. According to The Indianapolis Star, that would make the vessels barges at best, and there would be no need for captains. Ironically, these boats have not cruised for five years. It has been only a decade since casino boats were illegal in Indiana. When the state finally gave its approval, it insisted, like many other states, that boats had to cruise.

Insisting that casino boats, carrying hundreds if not thousands of passengers, should cruise did not really make sense. It put the passengers at risk. In numerous harbors, St. Louis harbor for example, river traffic is sufficiently heavy to make it dangerous to be cruising just for the sake of fulfilling a legislative demand. Often, these reaches of the river must also accommodate large tows, which have little flexibility for fast maneuvers. Even being tied up at the riverbank can be dangerous if a wayward barge is loose in the area, to which the operators of the casino aboard the old Admiral in St. Louis can attest.

Back when the gaming industry wanted to introduce casino boats on the river, the rules were molded to include a few requirements while still allowing the boats to function. Those requirements have eroded over time as society has gotten caught up in the gambling craze. Gone in most cases are the loss limits, for so long a bone of contention with Missouri gaming boats. In some states it, once became chic to put casino boats in large concrete moats so it could be said they were floating. It even got to a point in Missouri where casino boats did not have to be in the river but had to be within so many feet of it. So much for that stipulation. A huge gaming facility and accompanying hotel currently is under construction far up the riverbank, almost in the heart of St. Louis.

Capt. Mike Henry, captain of the City of Evansville, Casino Aztar’s operation on the Ohio River, was only being practical when he told The Indianapolis Star that the job was plush (he could go home every night), and that they all knew the end was coming. Indiana seems to be “growing comfortable with legalized gambling,” the Star said.

Indiana Rep. Jerry Denbo (D-French Lick) helped to get legislative approval for Indiana’s first land-based casino (in French Lick) in 2003. He thought there was a lot of money wasted on seaworthy vessels and crews. (From a business standpoint, there was.) It was in 2002 that the assembly agreed with boat owners that the public was better served if the boats were land-based. It would make them more accessible.

So the jobs Capt. Henry described as “wonderful” will disappear if the law is passed. It is a form of featherbedding most everyone (including us) sees as ridiculous. Those in the boat crews may be seeking other jobs soon. The Star reported crew wages on the nine boats as: $35 to $50 an hour for captains, mates, and chief engineers; and $8 to $10 an hour for assistant engineers, boatswains, and deckhands. It may not be so tough for the latter three categories.

Riverboat casino gambling is a perfect example of the camel taking over the space once its nose was allowed in the tent. When legislatures across the country ruled, “We will let you run gambling operations, provided…” the future was set. The Indian nations have for years operated land-based casinos, and the biggest share of their profits have not come from the reservations.

Could we see the time when city dads (not state legislators) will control gambling casinos just as they consider liquor stores and have to decide “how many” they will allow, not “if” they will allow them?

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