Residents inwards St. Tammany Parish could face a ballot referendum question inwards November regarding a potentiality $250 trillion casino inward Slidell, La. A new public opinion poll finds that a vast majority of locals hope to have got a chance to voter turnout on the gaming resort.
Cygnal, a DC-based polling and analytics firm, recently surveyed 300 potential voters inwards St. Tammany to gage their stance on the proposed gambling casino holiday resort at the Lakeshore Marina inward Slidell.
Of those asked, a warm bulk — 93 percent — said they funding allowing surface area residents to decide if the parish’s longstanding forbiddance on commercial play should be lifted. In Slidell, 89 percent said they preferent the Louisiana State Legislature and Gov. Saint John the Apostle bel Jonathan Edwards (D) going a bill to property the affair before voters inward the next election.
As for the casino itself, 67 percent of the 300 respondents said they indorse allowing a cassino to come in to the parish. In Slidell, 66.5 percent of locals lent their backup to the gaming proposal.
It reinforces what we’ve been audience from the really beginning. The public clearly wants a right to balloting no matter of how they sense most a resort or the gaming aspect,” explained Chris Masingill, CEO of the St. Tammany Corporation, the parish’s economical development agency.
Peninsula Pacific Entertainment — stylized P2E — wants to relocate its gaming license from Bossier City to Slidell. The casino manipulator opted non to reopen its DiamondJacks Casino one time it was permitted to make so last-place yr amid the pandemic.
P2E is seeking a to a greater extent attractive market in Louisiana, and is hoping to get into the untapped St. Tammany Parish.
P2E Commissioned Poll
Though Peninsula Pacific Entertainment paid for the Cygnal poll, its results — showing an overwhelming percent of parish voters require to resolve on the casino — testament potential comfort some concerns regarding whether the appraise had any bias.
“Treat polling findings inwards a decisive and informed way, theme to the potency predetermine you appear for in any writing, and accept inward nous that as tempting as flattering clients mightiness be, upright pollsters would instead follow right hand than liked,” explained Rob Vance, co-manager of PSB Insights, a search and analytics consultancy.
But Opponents Remain
In Louisiana, counties are referred to as parishes. And religious leaders and faith-based congregations are leading the front end to convince parish residents to refuse gambling.
Their voices were heard, with pastors and church building members expressing their concerns during public meetings with the Slidell City Council. The council later on voted against the casino ballot initiative utmost month.
The council vote, however, is ceremonial, and has no effectual work on the referendum process. Likewise, the St. Tammany Parish Council’s voting inward reinforcement of the cassino ballot interrogation also has no more work on the commonwealth general assembly and governor’s power to move the referendum forward.