They were approved in states with frontage along the Mississippi and its tributaries, including Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri.

In some areas, gambling was allowed only when the ship was sailing, as in the traditional excursions. When riverboat casinos were first approved in the late 20th century by the states, which generally prohibited gaming on land, these casinos were required to be located on ships that could sail away from the dock. Gambling was also common on the riverboats, in card games and via slot machines. They were often a way for people to escape the heat of the town, as well as to enjoy live music and dancing. After railroads largely superseded them, in the 20th century, they were more frequently used for entertainment excursions, sometimes for several hours, than for passage among riverfront towns. Paddlewheel riverboats had long been used on the Mississippi River and its tributaries to transport passengers and freight. Several states authorized this type of casino in order to enable gambling but limit the areas where casinos could be constructed it was a type of legal fiction as the riverboats were seldom, if ever, taken away from the dock.

JSTOR ( June 2015) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Ĭasino Boat on the Mississippi River, Natchez, Mississippi Sam's Town riverboat casino on the Red River, Shreveport, LouisianaĪ riverboat casino is a type of casino on a riverboat found in several states in the United States with frontage on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, or along the Gulf Coast.

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