Louisiana

Impacts on the Gaming Industry: A Closer Look at the FTC’s Final Non-Compete Rule

By Tommy Shepherd on Posted in Government Regulation
On April 23, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued its Final Non-Compete Agreement Rule (final rule) banning non-compete agreements between employers and their workers. The final rule will go into effect 120 days after being published in the Federal Register. This final rule will impact most US businesses, specifically those that utilize non-compete agreements to … Continue Reading

Corporate Transparency Act Update

By Tommy Shepherd on Posted in Government Regulation
As we complete the first quarter of 2024, business entities in the United States (including those involved in the gaming industry) should be familiar with their obligations under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), which is part of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. The CTA requires entities organized by a filing under state or tribal … Continue Reading

Beneficial for Whom? Requirement to Provide Beneficial Ownership Information for Business Entities Begins January 1, 2024

By Tommy Shepherd and Walt Terry on Posted in American Gaming Association, Casino Gaming, Government Regulation, Louisiana Gaming, Mississippi Gaming Commission
On January 1, 2024, the Corporate Transparency Act, a US federal law, will begin requiring certain corporations and limited liability companies to disclose their beneficial ownership information to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the US Department of the Treasury. The corporate ownership structures of many gaming companies, particularly those that utilize … Continue Reading

2021 Regional Gaming Highlights

By Tommy Shepherd, J. Kelly Duncan, Matthew C. McDonald and Chris Ulfers on Posted in Alabama Gaming, Casino Gaming, Georgia Gaming, Government Regulation, Horse-racing, Lottery, Lottery News, Louisiana Gaming, Skill-based Gaming, Slot Machines, Sports Betting, Sports Wagering, Tribal Gaming
Alabama In 2020, Governor Kay Ivey appointed a Gaming Task Force to study the feasibility of legalizing gaming in Alabama. Since voters rejected the last attempt in 1999 to amend the Alabama constitutional prohibition on gambling, numerous attempts to pass gaming legislation have failed. But with the proliferation of gaming in surrounding states, bingo casinos … Continue Reading

The Latest on Sports Wagering in Louisiana

By Tommy Shepherd, J. Kelly Duncan and Chris Ulfers on Posted in Louisiana Gaming, Sports Betting, Sports Wagering, Tribal Gaming
On June 10, 2021, the Louisiana Legislature advanced a key piece of sports wagering legislation, Senate Bill 247, to Governor John Bel Edwards. If signed into law, Senate Bill 247 will establish the all-important regulatory framework for the conduct of sports wagering in Louisiana and put certain parishes one step closer to offering sports wagering. … Continue Reading

What’s Next for Sports Wagering in Louisiana? Regulations, Regulations, Regulations

By J. Kelly Duncan, Tommy Shepherd and Chris Ulfers on Posted in Louisiana Gaming, Sports Wagering
In November 2020, voters in 55 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes voted to authorize sports wagering in their respective parishes. Sports wagering, however, is not yet being offered in the state because the Louisiana Legislature and Louisiana Gaming Control Board first need to implement operational-, tax-, and licensing-related rules to govern the activity. With the 2021 Regular … Continue Reading

2020 Regional Gaming Highlights

By J. Kelly Duncan, Tommy Shepherd, Matthew C. McDonald, Zach Branson and Chris Ulfers on Posted in Casino Gaming, Georgia Gaming, Government Regulation, Horse-racing, Lottery, Louisiana Gaming, Mississippi Gaming Commission, Sports Betting, Tribal Gaming
Alabama In late 2019, the Birmingham Race Course placed 301 historical horse racing machines at its facility. The machines, known as historical pari-mutuel betting, allow users to place wagers on horse races that have already taken place. The machines use historical information from previously run races, allowing bettors to pick the favorites or handicap for … Continue Reading

Sports Wagering is on the Ballot in Louisiana: Here’s What We Know

By J. Kelly Duncan, Tommy Shepherd and Chris Ulfers on Posted in Louisiana Gaming, Sports Betting, Sports Wagering
Despite a significant effort to legalize sports wagering in Louisiana during the 2019 Legislative Session, sports wagering remains illegal in the Bayou State. Many expect that to change soon. In June 2020, Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law Senate Bill 130, which will give voters in each of Louisiana’s 64 parishes the ability to … Continue Reading

What Will Reopened Casinos Look Like in Louisiana and Mississippi After the Coronavirus Shutdown Ends?

By J. Kelly Duncan and Tommy Shepherd on Posted in Casino Gaming, Government Regulation, Jones Walker Announcements, Slot Machines, Tribal Gaming
Even though the casinos in Louisiana and Mississippi continue to be closed under orders from the states’ governors and gaming regulators to address the coronavirus pandemic, we can speculate what a reopened gaming industry might look like in the Deep South once those orders are lifted. Prior to entry into a casino, guests may be … Continue Reading

Challenging Times: Specific Issues Facing the Gaming Industry During the Coronavirus Crisis

By Tommy Shepherd and J. Kelly Duncan on Posted in Casino Gaming, Jones Walker Announcements
With nearly all (980 of 989) commercial and tribal casinos in the United States closed, affecting more than 650,000 directly employed persons during the novel coronavirus shutdown, there are specific sets of issues facing the gaming industry. We summarize some of the more important ones below. Employee Issues Many gaming industry employers have taken one … Continue Reading

Louisiana Suspends Legislative Session

By J. Kelly Duncan on Posted in Uncategorized
As confirmed by a spokesman for Speaker Schexnayder, the Louisiana legislature passed resolutions to suspend its business until March 31. This comes after a series of increasingly tough restrictions on public gatherings and commercial activity were announced including the closing of casinos and video poker truck stops until April 13. This puts a hard stop … Continue Reading

Louisiana Supreme Court Concludes that Permanently Moored Riverboat Casinos Are Not “Vessels” Under Maritime Law

By J. Kelly Duncan and Chris Ulfers on Posted in Casino Gaming, Government Regulation
In Caldwell v. St. Charles Gaming (No. 2019-CC-1238), the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that a permanently moored riverboat casino engaged in dockside gaming is not a “vessel” under either the Jones Act or the General Maritime Law. Caldwell was employed as a technician by the Grand Palais Casino in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and was allegedly … Continue Reading

Louisiana Supreme Court to Address Whether Permanently Moored Casinos Are “Vessels” Under Maritime Law

By J. Kelly Duncan and Chris Ulfers on Posted in Casino Gaming, Government Regulation
The Louisiana Supreme Court will soon consider whether the Grand Palais casino in Lake Charles, Louisiana, qualifies as a “vessel” under the Jones Act and general maritime law. Indeed, the Court recently granted certiorari and agreed to review the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal’s decision in Caldwell v. St Charles Gaming, 18-868 (La. App. … Continue Reading

Update on Sports Wagering in Louisiana

By J. Kelly Duncan, Tommy Shepherd and Chris Ulfers on Posted in Daily Fantasy Sports, Government Regulation, Sports Betting, Sports Wagering
We write with an update on the status of sports wagering in Louisiana. In our May 2019 article titled “Sports Wagering in Louisiana Might Be on the Horizon,” we provided an overview of Senate Bill 153, sponsored by Senator Danny Martiny (R-Metairie), and its efforts to legalize sports wagering in Louisiana. As of May 22, the date on … Continue Reading

Sports Wagering in Louisiana Might Be on the Horizon

By J. Kelly Duncan, Tommy Shepherd and Chris Ulfers on Posted in Horse-racing, PASPA, Sports Betting, Sports Wagering, Tribal Gaming
With the introduction and serious consideration of Senate Bill 153 during the 2019 Regular Session, Louisiana is primed to join the growing number of states that have legalized sports wagering in recent years. Senate Bill 153, sponsored by Senator Danny Martiny (R-Metairie), would authorize sports wagering in Louisiana. The bill, if passed, would call for … Continue Reading

Will Louisiana Be the Next Southern State to Permit Sports Wagering?

By J. Kelly Duncan and Tommy Shepherd on Posted in Daily Fantasy Sports, Government Regulation, PASPA, Sports Betting, Sports Wagering
The 2019 session of the Louisiana Legislature began on April 8. Senator Danny Martiny (R-Metairie) has pre-filed a bill which would authorize sports betting on a parish-by-parish basis in the same way that daily fantasy sports (DFS) was legalized last year. Even though the Louisiana Senate Judiciary B Committee was the only place in the … Continue Reading

How Important Would Sports Betting Be to the State of Mississippi?

By Tommy Shepherd and Zach Branson on Posted in Daily Fantasy Sports, Government Regulation, Horse-racing, Skill-based Gaming, Sports Wagering, Uncategorized
Enacted in 1992, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PASPA”) effectively prohibits sports betting in the U.S. at both a federal and state level other than for a few exceptions that benefit four states (Nevada, Oregon, Delaware, and Montana). In recent years, some state governments and professional sports leagues have completely altered or at … Continue Reading

Jones Walker Gaming Attorneys Publish Inaugural Chambers Practice Guide

By J. Kelly Duncan, Kirkland E. Reid, Tommy Shepherd, Chris Ulfers and Jones Walker LLP on Posted in Government Regulation, Jones Walker Announcements
Jones Walker LLP gaming law partners J. Kelly Duncan, Nicole M. Duarte, Kirkland E. Reid, and Thomas B. Shepherd III, together with associate Christopher K. Ulfers, recently authored several chapters in the inaugural Chambers and Partners Global Practice Guide for “Gaming, Gambling & Licensing 2018.” The guide provides legal insight and commentary on key issues and … Continue Reading

Duncan and Dunbar Present at the International Masters of Gaming Law Masterclass in London

By J. Kelly Duncan and Jones Walker LLP on Posted in Government Regulation, International Masters of Gaming Law
 J. Kelly Duncan, chair of the firm’s Gaming Practice Group, and Marc W. Dunbar, partner in the firm’s Gaming Practice Group in Florida, were both speakers during the International Masters of Gaming Law Masterclass held on February 8, 2017, in London, England, at the 2017 ICE Expo. Mr. Duncan moderated the discussion on “Effects of … Continue Reading

Mississippi and Louisiana Attorneys General Among Those Filing Amicus Brief with Supreme Court in New Jersey Sports Wagering Case

By Blake Fulton on Posted in Sports Wagering
Attorney General Jim Hood of Mississippi and Attorney General Jeff Landry of Louisiana joined their counterparts from West Virginia, Arizona, and Wisconsin in filing a brief of Amici Curiae in support of the State of New Jersey’s Petition for Writ of Certiorari in its sports wagering case.  In the case styled Governor Christopher J. Christie, … Continue Reading

The times are a changin’ – Louisiana creates the Riverboat Economic Development and Gaming Task Force

By J. Kelly Duncan on Posted in Casino Gaming, Government Regulation
This summer, a concurrent resolution that creates a Riverboat Economic Development and Gaming Task Force (“Task Force”) was adopted during the regular session of the Louisiana State Legislature. The Task Force, to be chaired by Ronnie Jones, Chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, is charged with (1) studying current law and existing rules and … Continue Reading

Jones Walker attorneys author state gaming guides

By J. Kelly Duncan on Posted in Uncategorized
In recognition of the experience and depth of the Jones Walker gaming practice, firm attorneys were solicited to contribute five chapters to the 2016 edition of The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Gambling. The chapters written by Jones Walker gaming practitioners consist of current gaming regulations in the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and … Continue Reading
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