Provides with respect to the issuance of non-gaming supplier permits
Summary
HB 151 revises Louisiana law governing non-gaming supplier permits for entities that provide goods or services to gaming licensees, casino gaming operators, and sports wagering operators. The bill broadens and clarifies the reach of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board and the Division of Administration by specifying that suppliers may be subject to suitability review regardless of the dollar amount of business done, and by expressly including a wide range of vendors such as junket operators, limousine services, food and beverage suppliers, training schools, garbage handlers, vending machine providers, linen suppliers, and maintenance companies. It also requires certain employee and dealer training schools to be conducted at institutions approved by the Board of Regents or the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The bill authorizes the board and division to require persons with direct or indirect business relationships to either be found suitable or apply for a non-gaming supplier permit, and it allows recovery of reasonable review costs up to $250. It also preserves waiver authority for the division when suitability review is not necessary to protect the public interest, while allowing suppliers to request waivers of the permit requirement for good cause. Finally, it repeals R.S. 27:29.3(F), removing an existing subsection of the supplier-permit statute and leaving the amended provisions as the operative framework for non-gaming supplier regulation.
Impact
HB 151 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 27, Section 29.3, expanding and clarifying the regulatory authority over non-gaming suppliers connected to the gaming industry. The changes affect licensing, suitability determinations, permit requirements, waiver procedures, and cost recovery for the Louisiana Gaming Control Board and the Division of Administration, while also touching training-school approval standards and restrictions on contracting with key gaming employees. Suppliers and businesses that contract with casinos, gaming licensees, or sports wagering operators may face broader compliance obligations and potential suitability review under the revised statute.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received favorably and without significant opposition. It passed the House 94-0 and the Senate 39-0, indicating broad bipartisan support and little controversy in the recorded votes. The absence of committee transcript discussion also suggests the measure was viewed as a technical or administrative update to gaming regulation rather than a highly contentious policy change.
Contention
The main policy issue in HB 151 is the scope of regulatory oversight over non-gaming suppliers and how broadly suitability review should extend to businesses that provide indirect services to the gaming industry. Potential points of concern include the expanded reach to vendors regardless of transaction size, the authority to require suitability findings or permits for persons with business associations to gaming operators, and the cost and administrative burden on suppliers. The bill also preserves discretionary waiver authority, which may be important to businesses seeking relief from permit requirements, but no recorded opposition or specific stakeholder objections appear in the available legislative history.