Tennessee

New Developments (updated 6/21/01)

Legislation to prohibit casino gaming advances: House Bill 1678, which would prohibit any form of casino gaming in Tennessee, passed the House earlier this month after it was amended to exempt Shelby County from the general prohibition.

The Senate then made its own changes to the bill before passing it a few days after the House.

On June 14, the House voted to reject four of the Senate amendments, one of which restored Shelby County to the bill.

Unless the Senate agrees to retract the objectionable amendments, the bill will go to a House-Senate conference.

According to a survey released in January, Tennesseans favor casino gaming, but not as much as they do a state lottery. The survey showed that 59 percent of Tennesseans favor removing the ban against riverboat or land-based casino gaming from the state constitution. Thirty-three percent of those surveyed opposed riverboat and casino gaming, while eight percent were undecided.