On November 13th St Tammany citizens will vote on the future of gaming in their parish.
After over 6 hours of debate, a divided St. Tammany Parish council voted 8-6 to put the referendum for the proposed Slidell-area casino on the Nov. 13 ballot.
Peninsula Pacific Entertainment wants to build a $325 million casino resort at the foot of I-10 twin-span bridges outside of Slidell. St. Tammany voters outlawed gambling in 1996, which will have to be undone before a casino can be built.
A vote at the beginning of the marathon meeting to postpone the Parish Council vote for 60 days failed by the same margin.
The Parish Council vote was one of the key hurdles P2E needed to clear before it could move its riverboat license from Bossier City. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board must also approve the move.
Opponents picked up key support right before the Parish Council vote when St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith and Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal urged the council not to put the item on the ballot, saying too little is known about the impact on crime. Then the Slidell City Council asked the council to delay its vote to allow for an independent economic impact study. The Parish Council was also hit by two lawsuits filed in 22nd Judicial District Court that seek to prevent an election.
A large crowd was on hand and many for and against the project spoke to the council before the vote was finally taken.
