Louisiana Downs sues state police

BOSSIER CITY, La. - Louisiana Downs has filed suit in state district court in Baton Rouge against the Louisiana State Police in an effort to get their 34 video poker machines turned back on.

The state unplugged the devices last week after a dispute involving a license renewal application form. The suit alleges that the track sent in its video poker renewal application on June 27, before the June 30 deadline. The state police sent the application back on July 6, saying that investigators required additional information. The track provided the information on July 13, but state police said since it was received after the June 30 deadline, the entire application was rejected.

Ray Tromba, general manager of Louisiana Downs, has declined comment other than to say that a hearing is scheduled for Friday in Baton Rouge. The video poker dispute does not affect Louisiana Downs's recently granted license to operate slot machines at the track.