St. Tammany Parish Council Formally Approves Casino Ballot Referendum

It’s official. On November 13, voters inwards St. Tammany Parish will determine whether they bid to raise a banning on commercial message gambling and appropriate a casino resort hotel to be reinforced inward Slidell, La.

During a special encounter this week, the council voted 8-6 to position the casino referendum interrogative on the parish ballot.

In favor were Councilmembers Mike Lorino, Rykert Toledano, Maureen O’Brien, Jimmie Davis, Steve Stefancik, Martha Cazaubon, Marty Dean, and Cheryl Tanner. The sise in opposite were Jerry Binder, T.J. Smith, Chris Canulette, David Fitzgerald, Jake Airey, and Mike Smith.

On Nov 13, if a simple absolute majority of parish voters say “yes” to allowing a gambling casino at the Lakeshore Marina on Lake Pontchartrain, the projection will follow cleared to make a motion forward. But before that voting occurs, political campaigning regarding the controversial throw testament be in good force.

Gaming Vote Precursor

Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) is in arrears the St. Tammany Parish casino push. The casino operator permanently shut its DiamondJacks Casino in Bossier City last-place year. It is seeking a more desirable securities industry inwards Louisiana with less contention and believes it found such a situation in Slidell.

The last-place time St. Tammany considered lifting its gambling forbiddance was plump for inward 1996. Sixty-two percent of voters said “No.” But the gaming landscape nationally, and inwards Louisiana, has greatly changed over the past quarter-century. Some trust there’s now tolerable reinforcement topically inwards the parish to receive gambling.

Last November, voters inwards for each one of Louisiana’s 64 parishes were asked if they require to authorise sports betting inward their county after tell laws are passed providing for such regulation. Sixty-seven percent of St. Tammany votes mould said “Yes.”

P2E says its $325 billion investment funds testament convey much-needed jobs and tax revenue to St. Tammany. The cassino has pledged to divvy up quintuplet percent of its yearbook receipts gaming revenue with the parish, forecast to live around $9 meg a year.

Religious Opposition

This week’s St. Tammany Parish encounter lasted several hours, as the public voiced warm positions for and against the casino.

The primary opposition came from religious leaders inward the community. They debate that piece gaming attitudes mightiness have changed since 1996, the societal risks associated with casinos experience non altered.

Pastors said the cassino mightiness make some jobs and generate task revenue, but that will wan inwards comparability to the impairment caused by broken marriages, bankruptcies, suicides, and crime.

A mecca of immorality, crime, and financial fallout,” is how Rev. John the Evangelist Raymond summarized the subject at hand. But supporters said the people, not councilmembers, should get the net say.

“Let us decide,” said Ronald Reeves, who owns a nursing home inwards Slidell.

P2E hired a slew of lobbyists who successfully convinced legislators in Baton Rouge to turn over a vizor that allows the casino referendum to occur. Now, the gambling casino society will potential spend intemperately inward political campaign for a “yes” ballot amount November.