For example, if you win more than $1,200 at a riverboat casino in Iowa, you must pay more than 5% in taxes, although you can reclaim some of this money if you file a state income tax return. Be sure to check out the gambling legislation in the state you’ll be playing in. These days, if you want to gamble onboard a vessel in waters bordering any of the six states, you’ll need to be 21 years of age or older. Mississippi, Indiana, and Missouri legalized the activity in 1993. Riverboat gambling is now legal in six states, with Iowa leading the way in 1991 Illinois and Louisiana followed in the same year. It also made it possible for certain types of river vessels and some riverside destinations to continue plying their trade. This made it a crime to transport gambling devices across state lines unless it was allowed in the place you were headed to. Then, in 1951, Senator Lyndon Johnson had a hand in drafting the Transportation of Gambling Devices Act. This made gambling on the Great Mississippi a relatively safe bet from a legal point of view.
Due to the Big Muddy bordering a number of states, it was effectively a juridical grey area. At this time, gambling had started to take shape as an organized commercial operation. It wasn’t until 1904 that the first riverboat casino, called the City of Traverse, set sail on Lake Michigan. Soon Old Blue became The Big Muddy, and the river’s steamboats were no more than a nod to the past. Then came the Doubleheader, the Kettle, the Dinky, and the Bobtail Haul – steam locomotives that made riverboats seem slow and old-fashioned by comparison. Old Blue was the merriest place in America.įamilies, trade, and the great American novel flourished thanks to the big steam-propelled paddlewheel boats. Riverboats were also a great place to have a party with music and dance added to the mix. Poker - one of today’s favorite casino games - was so popular with the French colonists who worked as crew members on Mississippi riverboats that it spread to all corners of the country. Games of chance were a great way to relieve the boredom of a riverboat commute for passengers and wealthy merchants alike, and the mix of money and entertainment soon made gambling the activity of choice on board the old flatboats. Back then, the Great River was a watery freeway, connecting traders and communities by river transports that could move faster and haul more load than wagons and tired old mules.
To see where riverboat casinos started, we have to go back to the 1800s, when the Mississippi Valley was the beating heart of the American economy.
If you haven’t visited this part of the States, here’s a brief introduction to the area, and riverboat gambling, which is a popular activity that now takes place on its banks. So before you start spinning the next online slot or join a live casino, let’s get into the history of riverboat gambling. Long before the days of online casinos, this part of the world was known for the paddle steamers that used to cruise up and down this mighty river. The Mississippi – the second-longest river in North America, flowing 2,350 miles from its source at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, through the center of the US to the Gulf of Mexico – was the center of economic activity in the South in the 19th century. As this mighty river flows across many different state lines, you can find these historic paddleboat gaming hubs in Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Riverboat casinos are a popular form of entertainment all along the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
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