Louisiana: Caddo Parish to debate stricter regulations for casinos after video poker truck stop lobby

Nathan Hicks, the owner of truck-stop Airport Casino in Shreveport, has urged the Caddo Parish Commission to "level the field" for businesses like his own. The push follows a new law passed in Louisiana earlier this year that expanded the area available for off-track betting parlors, giving them the same zoning restrictions as video poker truck stops. The commission will hold a special meeting to discuss the matter on July 28.

Under a new law passed earlier this year, large casinos like Louisiana Downs will be able to operate off-track betting parlors that offer gaming options and amenities without the location restrictions applied to truck stop casinos like that of Hicks, which is located on Monkhouse Drive and operates 37 video poker machines.

Hicks said the law would allow large casinos to take a larger portion of the market while not paying taxes. "They have none of the restrictions that video poker has," the truck-stop Airport Casino owner argues.

"They can be within one mile of a church, one mile of a school, one mile of a historic building, one mile of a playground, anywhere they want to be, essentially they can be. And what we’re asking the commission to adopt is an ordinance that would at least make the playing field level. We can’t put anything within one mile of any of those types of facilities,” he said as reported by KTAL NBC 6 News.

Commissioner Todd Hopkins has introduced an ordinance setting distance requirements the same across the board for poker truck stops, pari-mutuel facilities, and off-track wagering facilities. However, Hicks says that’s not enough.

"Harrah’s, Louisiana Downs, has every amenity that I can offer. They can also offer smoking, they can also offer table games. They can also offer horse racing. I simply can’t compete," he added. "And we know that this market has reached maturity and that there’s a reason that DiamondJack’s [which closed in 2020] wanted to leave."

"There’s a finite amount of money in that economy. And by not being able to compete, not being able to have the amenities, not being able to do sports betting, those folks will, in essence, they’ll eat our lunch," Hicks further noted. "It will be almost impossible to continue to operate in the way that we operate.”

Furthermore, Hicks said that local tax revenue would be lost when businesses like his own are forced out. "It will be the single greatest lateral transfer of municipal funds into private hands in the history of the state of Louisiana," he claimed. "The money that would be going into the coffers of Caddo Parish would be going to the Horsemen’s Association.”

The commission voted to hold a special meeting to discuss the matter on July 28. Parish Attorney Henry Bernstein suggested commissioners used the occupational license tax to even the playing field for video poker truck stops.