Officials at the Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots in New Orleans have been meeting with neighborhood groups to measure reactions to extending the casino’s closing time from midnight to 3 a.m. As yet, Fair Grounds has not formally proposed the change to the city council, which would approve it. The longer hours could help make up for revenue lost to the citywide smoking ban imposed in 2015, officials said.
President and General Manager Doug Shipley, hired last year by Fair Grounds owners Churchill Downs Inc., has met with area residents who have expressed concerns over increased litter, traffic and crime that could result from the extended hours.
Residents’ reactions have been mixed. Bruce Hamilton, a member of the Fairgrounds Citizen Advisory Committee, said, “As someone who lives right across from the racetrack, I deal with noise and trash and car alarms and all the problems that come. I just don’t see anything positive for the neighborhood or for the neighbors if the casino stays open until 3.” Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association Vice President Beaux Jones said residents also are concerned about traffic accidents near the track, security patrols and light pollution from track’s bright lights.
Some residents also question if Fair Grounds has complied with the 21 provisos outlined in the June 2005 ordinance allowing slot machines. The provisos include a litter abatement program, traffic impact analysis, 24-hour NOPD security patrol, landscaping maintenance and others. Compliance is reviewed by the Fairgrounds Citizen Advisory Committee. Hamilton said he doubts Fair Grounds has abided by the landscaping mandate. “It’s a problem because of the noise and trash, and there’s just no barrier between the Fair Grounds and the houses on the other side of the fence,” he said.
Fairgrounds Triangle Association President Morgan Clevenger said her neighborhood is affected by Fair Grounds “365 days of the year, not just during racing season or Jazz Fest. While everyone appreciates the historic nature of the racecourse, it’s important to remember it’s a big gambling and alcohol beverage facility in the middle of residential neighborhoods.” She added her group has asked for a written proposal from the track operators “with hard data and evidence of full compliance with all current provisos.”
Fair Grounds Senior Director of Marketing Mark Conner there are “varying degrees of understanding” regarding the provisos. “We’ll likely be going back through those very specifically, and we feel very confident that we’ve been compliant in all of the provisos, especially based on the interpretation of what each of them required,” he said. Regarding extending the casino’s hours, Connor added, “There really isn’t a game plan per se. It’s something that’s on the radar for Churchill Downs and for us here locally, and we got some good feedback from the neighborhood. We’ll continue to solicit that while we think about maybe formally proposing to extend that to the city council.”
Conner said in the three years since New Orleans implemented a smoking ban including bars and casinos, Fair Grounds has taken a significant financial hit, despite installing an outdoors smoking patio. “Everybody believes that not having smoking is good for the workers and the city. Having said that, in our business and many others, when you have competitors in neighboring parishes and in Mississippi and the Gulf Coast that don’t have those similar regulations, it makes it extremely competitively challenging.”
Fair Grounds offers 625 slots, which, operators said, provide revenue required to attract the best horses, trainers and jockeys; pay for neighborhood patrols; staff and produce other events like exotic animal racing; and contribute to a millage for City Park.
