Local Residents to Vote Over Casino Near Slidell

By Jerry Smith Staff Writer Updated: 11/27/2021

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Local Residents to Vote Over Casino

In 1996, an election took place that banned gambling in St. Tammany Parish. It is now reported that residents from the parish will now be voting on whether to reverse that decision and allow a casino to be built near Slidell.

If the residents do vote to reverse the decision a new casino could be built at the foot of the I-10 Twin Span Bridge.

However, it is also reported that there is a split among residents in the parish at present, as some are very concerned about rising crime while others believe the casino could be financially beneficial to the area. Early voting is now set to take place between November 27th and December 4th, with the fresh election date scheduled for December 11th.

Delays with the Voting

The voting and election were meant to take place earlier than the currently scheduled dates. However, the chaos caused by Hurricane Ida meant that the plans had to be pushed back to a later date.

In the previous election back in 1996, more than 60 percent of voters said that they did not want gambling in the area. This resulted in the ban on gambling in the parish.

However, the new vote could see a very different outcome because of the wider acceptance of gambling coupled with states and cities being desperate to gain economic stability following the global pandemic.

Since the last election, it was also noted that there are now 60 percent more voters in the parish, and this could also help to make a difference to the outcome. Younger voters, in particular, could help to impact the decision in favor of gambling.

One local resident, Kath Rothschild, said that she was struggling to decide which way to vote. She said that there was too much conflicting information to make an informed decision. Rothschild stated:

I’m seeing the pro-casino side release all these great stats about unemployment. And then you see (points) against the casino, about the crime and the property values. It’s very conflicting. I’m really just struggling to find information for me to make an informed decision.

She also said that she was concerned that those who did not live close to where the casino would be built would be more supportive of it than those that had it on their doorsteps.

One of those opposing the move is Randy Smith, the St. Tammany Sheriff. He said that the negative effects of gambling had been seen in other areas including violent crime, and this was something that they did not want in the area.

A Boost for the Economy

While those opposing the casino believe it could bring all sorts of issues including higher crime levels to the area, supporters state that it could have a huge positive impact on the local economy.

Over the past year, many cities and states have been able to recoup some of the massive financial losses from the pandemic as a result of changes to gambling laws. In addition, it has helped to create a lot of jobs after many were laid off during the pandemic.