In St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, the Republican Parish Executive Committee voted unanimously to adopt a resolution opposing a proposed casino in Slidell.
Pacific Peninsula Entertainment wants to move its Bossier City-based Diamond Jacks riverboat casino, which closed due to Covid-19, to Slidell, where it would develop a $329 million casino resort at the foot of the I-10 Twin Spans. Supporters said the facility would bring more jobs to the area, while opponents said it would attract crime, sex trafficking and other social ills.
A voter referendum on allowing gambling in the parish will be held December 11. In 1996, 62 percent of parish voters, or 70,507, voted against allowing riverboat gambling. Since then, the number of registered voters in the suburban New Orleans parish has grown by 60 percent to 185,510.
At the RPEC meeting, Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser spoke against the casino. He said it would not promote tourism and building it in a family friendly neighborhood would not contribute to the well-being of the community. Others who have spoken out against the casino are Slidell’s mayor, police chief and the city council, plus St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith.
If voters approve, the new casino resort, Camellia Bay, could open as soon as November 2023, with a gaming floor, 4-star hotel, local and celebrity chef restaurants, pools and a marina. The facility would create nearly 1,000 jobs with an average pay of about $45,000 per year. Analysts said it would generate an estimated $33.3 million in annual gaming taxes, providing about $9 million a year for local governments.
