In Louisiana, a proposal to allow a public referendum on allowing a casino in Slidell stalled two times in the House before lawmakers ended up giving it strong support one day later. The sponsor of House Bill 702, state Rep. Mary DuBuisson, said, “There are a few questions that need to be answered. I want to wait until I feel it’s right.” Ultimately the House voted 63-28 in favor of the bill, 10 more votes than needed in the 105-member chamber.
The bill, which would let St. Tammany Parish voters decide whether they want a casino, now moves to a Senate committee. If it passes that chamber, the referendum vote would occur in October.
The discussion began when Peninsula Pacific Entertainment made a bid to move the license of the shuttered Diamond Jack’s casino in Bossier City to Slidell.
DuBuisson and state Senator Sharon Hewitt, sponsor of a similar measure in the Senate which previously was blocked twice by the Senate Finance Committee, have said they simply want to give St. Tammany voters the opportunity to decide if they want a casino near Slidell, located off Interstate 10 at Exit 261. Officials said the proposed $250 million casino and 250-room hotel would create 1,700 jobs during construction and 1,900 permanent jobs and generate additional revenue for the parish. DuBuisson said the casino would keep in Louisiana up to 33 percent of the money state residents gamble at Mississippi Gulf Coast casinos.
DuBuisson noted St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper and other business and political leaders supported HB702. Opposing the measure were Slidell ministers working with the Louisiana Family Forum and lobbyists working for operators of casinos in Louisiana and Mississippi; casinos in Harvey and Kenner stand to be impacted the most by the proposed Slidell casino.
