Update: After a very lengthy meeting, the St. Tammany Parish council voted to give voters a chance to decide if they want a riverboat casino in Slidell. It will appear on the November 13th ballot.
Original story:
At Wednesday night’s St. Tammany Parish Council Meeting, members will vote on whether to grant a parish-wide vote to be put on the November ballot to allow a casino to relocate to the parish. Slidell Senator Sharon Hewitt sponsored legislation for a public vote and now the parish council will decide its next fate.
“We’ve done our job in the state legislature now it’s time for some of the other organizations, the gaming control board, and the parish council to take action, and then the people get to vote,” said Hewitt.
St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith, alongside Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal, oppose the casino and say an increase in criminal activity typically accompanies such venues and developers have not shown them any research that said otherwise. Smith quoted FBI data on the types of crimes associated with gambling.
“Human trafficking, prostitution, substance abuse, thefts, felony, and misdemeanor. An increase in divorce and unfortunately suicides increase,” said Smith.
Smith said St. Tammany Parish already has one of the highest suicide rates in the state.
Senator Hewitt said some see the casino as a great economic development opportunity for the parish.
“It’s going to create lots in our community, it will raise revenue for the state and local government, and we just want our people to have a chance to vote on it,” said Hewitt.
Peninsula Pacific Entertainment has already stated they will make a $325-million investment in the new casino in hopes of luring gamblers that usually visit Mississippi’s casinos to stay in the state. P2E has guaranteed to hire 50-percent of their employees from the parish.
Smith said they work with federal and state law enforcement on combatting human trafficking which he said is already an issue on the I-10/12 corridor that runs through Slidell.
“A casino would just add to that, and we would see an increase in those types of criminal activities in our parish that we don’t need,” said Smith.
The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 tonight to decide if the casino referendum will be put on the Nov. 13th ballot. Voters in the parish will have to undo a 1996 vote that currently blocks casinos.
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