River Gaming Evolution: Is it the End for Riverboat Casinos?

Riverboat casinos are something that became really prominent in the Southern and Midwestern states, along the Mississippi River and key tributaries like the Illinois River, Red River, and the Biloxi Gulf Coast area. They were an important regulatory loophole in states where commercial casinos were not allowed by law, and a place where you could go to grab a bite to eat, perhaps take in a show, and hit the gaming tables for some classic casino games or regional specialties. We talk about this as if they are something of the past. They are not – but riverboats are not as popular as they once were.

They emerged in the 1990s as an alternative to landbased gambling venues and commercial casinos. These were a lot closer and more readily accessible for locals, without needing to travel for hours on end to get to a tribal reservation, or worse, fly to gambling hubs like Vegas or Atlantic City, to get their kicks. While never intended to replace these, the riverboats couldn’t supply thousands of slots or hundreds of gaming tables, they were a convenient local gaming spot. But with recent closures and slow business, riverboats may soon disappear entirely.

Casino Queen Marquette Closure

What kicks this off is the grand opening of Bally’s Marquette, a landbased commercial casino in Iowa that replaces the Casino Queen Marquette, a riverboat that closed in 2024. Bally’s Marquette opened in March, and the repurposed gambling venue includes a casino floor with 400 slot machines and table game favorites like blackjack, Ultimate Texas Hold’Em, Three Card Poker, craps, roulette, and the regional favorite Mississippi Stud Poker. It also features dining options as well as a sportsbook.

The Casino Queen Marquette, a riverboat casino that boasted 560+ slot machines, was approved for a landbased extension in 2023, and now it has finally opened, allowing Bally to retire the riverboat casino. With it, the last real riverboat casino in Iowa officially closed, marking the end of an era for a state that was one of the earliest to legalize these very establishments.

• Casino Queen Market (opened 1994, closed 2024-26)
• Isle Casino Hotel Bettendorf (opened 1995, closed 2016)
• Rhythm City Casino Resort (opened 199, closed 2016)

The list goes on, but basically what you need to know is that most of the Iowa riverboats were launched in the early 1990s, but were slowly phased out in the 2010s, before the final riverboat, Casino Queen Marquette, was closed between 2024-26 (2026 with the launch of the landbased Bally’s Marquette).

Most Prominent States for Riverboat Casinos

Iowa was the first state to legalize riverboats, passing the Excursion Gambling Boat Act in 1989, with the first venues opening in 1991. This was followed by Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, and Indiana in the early 1990s. Following a map here, these are all tied to the Mississippi River system across the US.

Legislation on riverboat casinos varied based on the states, but basically, the main premise was that these could offer casino games, within limited areas (on the rivers). Contrary to the myths and legends about riverboats, they seldom left the docks.

From Iowa and Illinois down to Louisiana, riverboats appeared in major cities such as:

• Marquette (IA)
• Davenport (IA)
• Moline/Rock Island (IL)
• St. Louis (MO)
• Cape Girardeau (MO)
• Tunica (MI)
• Vicksburg (MI)
• Natchez (MI)
• Baton Rouge (LA)
• New Orleans (LA)

These aimed to attract local gamers, regional players, and even tourists from other states.

How Riverboat Casinos Evolved

In the late 1990s, riverboat casinos reached their peak across the US. There were over 100 riverside and dockside casinos operating across the US. These venues were run by some of the largest operators of commercial landbased US casinos, including Caesars (and Harrah’s), MGM Resorts International, Boyd Gaming, Penn Entertainment, Isle of Capriu Casinos and Bally’s.  The biggest riverboat casinos included the Horseshoe Tunica, Casino Queen in St. Louis, and the Rhythm City Casino Resort.

Riverboat casinos made up around 30-34% of the commercial gaming revenue, which if you think about it is really phenomenal. The reason is because a lot of these venues evolved with the changing gaming demands. Gradually, the boats became permanently docked, they could be converted into barges with more casino floor space, and gradually some could even have on-land extensions, freeing up more room to offer more games.

The biggest riverboat casinos could offer anywhere from 800 up to 2,000 slot games, over 50 gaming tables, and even private poker rooms in select properties. The games lineup could include all the popular card games like blackjack, three card poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Caribbean Stud Poker, and regional specialties like Mississippi Stud. They could also provide classic commercial casino games like roulette, baccarat and craps.

Many of the bigger establishments even built landbased hotels right next to the boats, humble event centers, and extended their dining options to include steakhouses, bars, and highly popular buffets. While it pales in comparison to the biggest Las Vegas Strip casinos, these could offer modest casino resort style facilities, and with their game variety and up to 2,000 slot machines, they could well compete with smaller Vegas casinos, like the historical ones you find on Fremont Street.

Surviving Riverboat Casinos in the US

The laws on riverboat casinos did become less strict, and as owners began to open landbased amenities or add ons, it gradually shifted to taking the operations, in their entirety, on land. The classic riverboat casinos, which were really designed to stay on cross state river borders, benefiting from more lenient gambling laws and potentially tax breaks, anchored to cities and soon became a permanent feature.

It doesn’t mean that there are no more of those classic riverboat casinos in America. You still have:

• Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles (MO): Owned by Penn Entertainment
• Hollywood Casino St. Louis (MO): Owned by Penn Entertainment
• Harrah’s Kansas City (MO): Owned by Caesars Entertainment
• L’Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles (LA): Owned by Penn Entertainment
• Horseshoe Bossier City (LA): Owned by Caesars Entertainment
• Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino Shreveport (LA): Owned by Boyd Gaming
• Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg (MI): Owned by Penn Entertainment
• Harrah’s Joliet (IL): Owned by Caesars Entertainment

And there are various others. Riverboat casinos, however, do not make up for a third of commercial casino revenue in the US anymore, and instead constitute well below 10% of the industry.

Are There Similar Venues Abroad?

No other country does riverboats quite like the US, and by the strict definition of the term, it is practically unique to America. There are definitely floating casinos, waterfront casinos, and even casino cruise ships, but none are quite the same.

Floating Casinos

One of the closest examples is the Rio de la Plata near Buenos Aires, a riverboat casinos that is held on a barge, but this is not a classic river traveling gambling vessel. This is more a floating venue than a riverboat casino, because it is permanently anchored, integrated with land based resort facilities, and just extends onto the water, where you get a casino floor.

Waterfront Casinos

Waterfront casinos can describe virtually every casino alongside the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, right to the Monte Carlo Casino, and way East to the Cotai Strip casinos and those mega luxury venues in Singapore. These are, in a way, what riverboat casinos aspired to be. They are located within integrated entertainment districts with direct access to the onshore traffic, and can have integrated sportsbooks, hospitality facilities, and host massive events.

Some of the most striking in the world include the casinos in Switzerland, especially at the Northern part of Italy (some are even located on the Italian side), and the casinos along the French Riviera. Again, some of these are in Italy like San Remo, but you also get the French casinos stretching down to Marseille, and who can forget the casino in Monte Carlo.

Casino Cruise Ships

Stretching out the meaning of riverboat casinos a little, and we can include gambling cruise ships. These, unlike riverboat casinos, must be moving all the time and do not have the same flexible accessibility. It is rather a distant cousin to riverboat casinos. These massive ships have entire entertainment ecosystems built into their infrastructure, and they can travel around continents and across the world. Cruise ships cater to a specific type of customer. Tourists and those who have the money to afford these lavish trips.

The casinos can reflect that, but these casinos are really just secondary options for the people on board. They can offer games of chance when in international waters, but may be forced to close these when approaching jurisdictions where they are not allowed. For instance, in Canada gambling cruise ships are allowed to sail in and out, but cannot offer their gambling games unless they are at least 12 nautical miles away from shore.

A Changing Industry with Gaming Trends

Is it really the end of an era for riverboat casinos? The answer is not that simple. It is more a natural evolution, from modest waterbound gambling venues that were authorized to provide casino games in cross border water territory, to docked, semi onland/in-water venues, that could be described as waterfront or floating casinos. There are definitely a few classic riverboats out there, but now most have expanded to include landbased facilities.

This is not so much a change in gaming trends, but one of changes in the law, and more flexibility afforded to these kinds of venues. If you ever wanted to play casino games on a boat, with slight waves rocking the casino floor, the options are getting scarcer. But at a stretch, there are definitely venues that have extensions out onto the water, as well as landbased ones, and perhaps even nautical themes or decor to enhance the atmosphere. These are not classic riverboats. But rather waterfront casinos with historical roots in river gaming.

Another way of looking at it is that riverboats did what they set out to do. These were not really meant to be niche gaming experiences with purposely limited facilities and more modest game offerings. They were intended to open the door for less strict regulation, expanding the possibilities for locals and tourists, without having to drive for hours or fly to locations like Las Vegas or Atlantic City. And in that role, riverboat casinos definitely opened doors and paved the way for more widespread commercial casino access across the US.