Mississippi Riverboat Gambling History
- State of Mississippi passed The Mississippi Gaming Control Act of 1990 setting the stage for riverboat casino gaming. On March 4, 1990, the LA Cruise of Dewayne Williams, moored at Biloxi, and the Southern Elegance, based in Gulfport, were allowed to sail into international waters to gamble and serve alcohol.(The Sun Herald, March 3, 1990, p.
- Originally, riverboat gambling was the staple of large paddlewheelers and steamships cruising up and down the Mississippi River. At their height during the 1800s, such riverboats not only provided an elegant travel means, but plenty of entertainment by virtue of the shipboard gambling parlors.
The Mississippi River Commission was established in 1879 to facilitate improvement of the Mississippi River from the Head of Passes near its mouth to its headwaters. The stated mission of the Commission was to: Develop and implement plans to correct, permanently locate, and deepen the channel of the Mississippi River.
THE HISTORY OF GAMBLING IN THE UNITED STATES
Benjamin Franklin organized a Pennsylvania lottery in 1748 to help raise money for military supplies to defend Philadelphia against the French and Indians.
In 1964, the first state-run lottery debuted in New Hampshire. Today, lotteries are established in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Gambling and the frontier lifestyle shared similar foundations — a spirit of adventure, opportunity, and risk taking. During the early 1800s gambling in the lower Mississippi Valley became a legitimate and organized enterprise. The Mississippi River and connected waterways were major avenues of trade for farmers and merchants and the river boats carried passengers who had lots of cash. The south tended to have a more open attitude towards gaming, reflecting the Spanish, French, and early Virginian traditions. New Orleans became the capital for gambling.
The demise of the riverboat gambler had more to do with circumstance than direct action by the people. Emergence of railroads and the outbreak of the Civil War were the precipitating factors. Travel by steamboats declined as railroads started to supplant steamboats as the favored method of transportation. Trains were more reliable and were faster than the riverboats. The Civil War interrupted virtually all river travel and abruptly diminished gambling in that area.
Horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering began to make a comeback. In 1933, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, and California legalized pari-mutuel betting. The California Legislature adopted a statute in 1933 referred to as the Horse Racing Act. The statutes took effect upon adoption by the voters of an amendment to the Constitution in June of 1933. During the 1930’s, 21 states brought back racetracks. The greyhound industry began in 1919 with the first track in Emeryville, California. Today there are 49 tracks operating in 15 states. Greyhound racing is responsible for approximately 14 percent of the total handle of pari-mutuel betting.
Full-scale gambling became legal in 1931 – at the height of the Great Depression – when Nevada earned the right to legalize gambling as a way to raise state revenue and stimulate the economy without raising taxes. Then, after the close of World War II, the United States saw a significant boom in gambling activity.
Many casinos in Nevada were financed by mobsters. Most notable perhaps was Las Vegas’ Flamingo which was opened in 1947 by Bugsy Siegel. Even though he had an extensive and violent criminal record, Bugsy Siegel was able to get a gaming license. Most notable of his criminal exploits was his role in arranging the murder of New York mobster 'Dutch' Schultz by the infamous 'Murder Inc.' Today, even the hint of any such activity would be sufficient to deny a license.
In 1978, New Jersey became the second state to legalize casino gambling in an attempt to revitalize the rundown resort area of Atlantic City. The legalization was restricted only to Atlantic City. In the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s, Atlantic City was a popular resort town, boosted by the new rail service which linked the Northeast. Day trips to the Jersey shore were now possible and affordable. But its popularity dwindled when air travel became easily accessible. Upscale tourists chose beach resorts in Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean over Atlantic City. Casino gaming was expected to be a way for Atlantic City to become a popular tourist destination once again.
The comeback of Riverboat casinos is a relatively new, and uniquely American, phenomenon. Riverboat casinos began operating in Iowa in 1991, and quickly expanded throughout the Midwest. By 1998 there were over 40 riverboat casinos in operation in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, and nearly 50 riverboat and dockside casinos in Louisiana and Mississippi.
In 1979, the Seminole tribes started organized Bingo games on the reservations. This was the first Native American experience with organized gambling for profit
In 1987, the United States Supreme Court decided what was arguably to be the most important case dealing with gambling in American history. In California vs. the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, In 2006, there were 300 Native American Indian groups hosting gaming activities Today, there are Indian-owned casinos in 31 states.
She's the ninth steamer to bear the name NATCHEZ. It was her predecessor, NATCHEZ VI, that raced the ROBERT E. LEE in the most famous steamboat race of all time. Even today, the NATCHEZ is proudly the undisputed champion of the Mississippi, never having been beaten in a race. In many ways, she's the best of her line.
It's a line that follows the course of river history, from the placid antebellum plantation era through the turbulence of the Civil War to the Gay Nineties, and, ultimately, the new millennium.
When the New Orleans Steamboat Company launched the NATCHEZ in 1975, they revived more than a famous name. They created one of only two true steam-powered sternwheelers plying the Mississippi today. The NATCHEZ combines the best of contemporary construction, safety, and comfort standards with all the authenticity and style of her classic steamboat gothic predecessors.
The NATCHEZ resembles the old sternwheelers VIRGINIA and HUDSON in her profile and layout. Her powerful steam engines were built for U.S. Steel Corporation's sternwheeler CLAIRTON in 1925. Her genuine copper and steel steam whistle is a treasured antique. Her copper bell, smelted from 250 silver dollars to produce a purer tone, once graced the S.S. J.D. AYRES. Her 32 note steam calliope was custom crafted and modeled after the music makers of the Gilded Age.
The NATCHEZ is the pride of the Mississippi River and is as beautiful as any of her namesakes. Many of her crew have been with her since her maiden voyage. Theirs is a whole new chapter in the history of the river, and you can be a part of it. Her daily two-hour jazz cruises depart from the Toulouse St. Wharf (behind JAX Brewery in the French Quarter) at 11:30 A.M.; 2:30 P.M.; and 7:00 P.M.
True to tradition in every detail, boarding the NATCHEZ makes you feel as if you have entered another era. The captain barks his orders through an old-time hand-held megaphone. The calliope trills a melody into the air while the great wheel, 25 tons of white oak, churns the heavy waters of the Mississippi. You soon find yourself slipping into a sense of the old, vast, and timeless river.
As the NATCHEZ glides past the French Quarter and through one of the world's most active ports, you begin to understand the magic of the experience. For all its history and romance, the excitement of riding a steamboat is as real and rich and genuine now as it was a century ago.'
Steamboat Races
Steamboat Races are as old as steamboats themselves. The history of the Natchez boats from the first to the ninth in the lineage includes many steamboat races. The latest race took place on Valentine's Day 2003 with the Natchez paired against the American Queen Steamboat, one of the fleets of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. It was a charity race with proceeds going toward the renovation of St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans.
At this time there is not a date set for the next race, but please check for updates later in the year!
Matt Dow continues his family’s legacy with the Riverboat CITY OF NEW ORLEANS.
» Originally published on ExperienceNewOrleans.com
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Matthew Dow always knew he belonged on the river. You might say the Mississippi runs through his veins.
In 1945, his grandfather, maritime lawyer Captain Wilbur Dow, purchased the Lake George Steamboat Company in New York. Founded more than 200 years ago in 1817, it is one of the oldest passenger cruise lines in the world (keep in mind the first steamboat, the New Orleans, launched just six years earlier in 1811.)
Then, back in 1972, Wilbur’s son (Matthew’s father) Bill Dow founded The New Orleans Steamboat Company. Bill moved to New Orleans for a time where he built the Steamboat NATCHEZ, the beloved floating palace you see tied up on Toulouse Street Wharf, across from Jackson Square.
Now, 45 years after the christening of the NATCHEZ, it’s Matthew’s turn to launch his own legacy. That will happen this spring with the arrival of the Riverboat CITY OF NEW ORLEANS at the Lower Bienville Wharf.
“I grew up hearing whistles, bells and calliopes. I knew this was what I meant to do,” Matt said.
Matt was born in New Orleans in 1989 and lived here until he was six, but he spent much of his growing up years in New York. From the age of eight, he worked on the Lake George boats (early employment was his idea) – first in the photo lab, then in the gift shop, then the snack bar. During his summers and holidays, he came down to New Orleans to work on the NATCHEZ as a deckhand – he even stepped in as a calliope player (still does). His favorite song? Old Man River in e flat (“because it has so much meaning”), second only to Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans (because he does know what it means).
“There’s just something special about New Orleans,“ Matt said. “You feel it in your stomach when you get here. I’ll be here in this city until the water reclaims it.” (Let’s hope that never happens.)
After high school, Matt attended Maine Maritime Academy where he graduated second in his class. After commencement, he worked for the Lake George Steamboat Company, serving in almost every capacity. He completed his Master’s License in 2012 and, although he doesn’t work as a pilot today, he loves to “get between the sticks.”
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the demand for passenger boats in New Orleans declined for a time, but by 2016, with the NATCHEZ doing gangbusters, it became clear the time was now to give her a sister. Before Matt knew it, he was packing up his car and heading down to New Orleans to serve as Assistant Marine Operations Manager/Project Manager of the renovation of the Riverboat CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, a former casino boat in Rock Island, Illinois.
Mississippi Riverboat Gambling History Timeline
According to Matt, “You prove your worth in the Dow family by building a boat. I always felt that New Orleans for me was home. I just knew that I belonged here. I knew it was time to come back.”
Matthew had some big shoes to fill. He wasn’t just following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, he was following in the wake of all those who had built boats before him: Robert Fulton, Robert R. Livingston, Nicholas Roosevelt, Charles Brown and many others. At one time they called riverboats floating wedding cakes because they were adorned with an overabundance of gingerbread, opulent furnishings, and sparkling chandeliers. They shone brightly in the sunlight with their tall stacks, fresh white paint and bright red paddlewheels. This boat had to live up to the best of them.
The Riverboat CITY OF NEW ORLEANS was named after the Arlo Guthrie song about the train City of New Orleans, one of Bill Dow’s favorites. At one time, the company had plans to build another riverboat with this name. While that project never left dry dock, the dream of the Riverboat CITY OF NEW ORLEANS never died. Speaking of other riverboats, along with the NATCHEZ, the New Orleans Steamboat Company has also operated the COTTON BLOSSOM, the JOHN JAMES AUDUBON, the PRESIDENT, the COMMODORE, the BECKY THATCHER and the AUDUBON EXPRESS here in the city. In its day, the PRESIDENT was one of the premier entertainment venues in the city, offering entertainment like the Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Joan Jett and others.
According to Matt, audiences today are looking to spend more time inside riverboats being entertained, and the new 1,000-passenger CITY OF NEW ORLEANS was designed to accommodate. It will have twice the dining capacity of the NATCHEZ, including three decks with indoor space for weddings and events (up to 600 people for a sit-down dinner). Each deck will have its own bar, restaurant, elevators and separate AV system that will allow for elaborate corporate presentations and different entertainment on each floor. The new boat will be run with a modern diesel-electric system (steam engines would have taken up too much room), but, never fear, there will be a working paddlewheel!
The sternwheel riverboat will offer daily brunch cruises with an optional stop for a tour of Mardi Gras World. A nightly Dinner Jazz Cruise will be available for private deck parties and whole boat charters. It will be captained by Steve Nicoulin, master of the NATCHEZ since 1995. This is Nicoulin’s chance to be the first master of a boat. (He replaced the legendary Doc Hawley on the NATCHEZ.)
Mississippi Riverboat Gambling History Sites
“Captain Nicoulin helped put the first coat of paint on the NATCHEZ. He’s celebrating his 44th anniversary with the New Orleans Steamboat Company this spring, and we’re so proud to have him,” Matt said.
What is it that continues to draw people like Matt Dow, Captain Nicoulin and hundreds of thousands of passengers to the river every year?
When asked if millennials are still interested in riverboats, Matt quoted Mark Twain who said, “Someday man will figure out how to go 700 miles per hour, but he’ll still only want to go seven.”
This spring, be among those racing to the river to go seven miles per hour on the Riverboat CITY OF NEW ORLEANS.