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Louisiana Gambling Board Approves Slots, Casino Takeover19 February 2003BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- As reported by the Associated Press: ``With little discussion and no comment, state officials agreed Tuesday to add 1,500 slot machines to a horse racing track in Bossier City, the latest sign of horse tracks' increasing dependence on the gambling devices. ``The machines will be installed at Louisiana Downs, and Harrah's Entertainment Inc. plans to have 900 in place as early as May. With five riverboat casinos in the area, competition for the gambling dollar in North Louisiana is intense. Harrah's, already a giant in the casino business, bought the track last year with an eye to putting in slot machines, which horsemen once regarded as anathema but now consider a savior for failing tracks. Approval appeared to be a foregone conclusion at Tuesday's state Gaming Control Board meeting. Indeed, Chairman Hillary Crain said afterwards that the board had no choice under the 1997 law which allows the devices at tracks -- even though the state makes more in taxes from riverboat gambling. ``…Horsemen view the coming of the slots with mixed emotions, though Delta Downs, a track in Lake Charles, has augmented its purses 40 percent, solely because of the machines. …" |