A controversial effort to put a casino in Slidell is hung up before the Louisiana Senate, possibly even threatening the measure’s ultimate chances of passage.
Sen. Sharon Hewitt told a group of casino opponents who faced off with her after learning that her Senate Bill 213 would not be heard as scheduled by the Senate Finance Committee that time was not on her side. She added that this was a difficult decision for many people. Her measure would permit St. Tammany voters to decide in October whether to reverse a 1996 parish-wide anti-gambling vote and allow the proposed casino in Slidell on Lake Pontchartrain. The bill also would add the site off Interstate 10 at Exit 271 to the list of locations where a casino could be established.