Choctaws reject new casino
The tribe voted against a casino that would’ve been located in the Red Water community in Leake County.
US.- The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians have voted against a new casino that was set to be built in the Red Water community, Mississippi. Official numbers revealed that the final vote against the gambling facility was 1506 to 710.
The Red Water community in Leake County was the only one that was in favor of the casino, 141-70. According to the Tribal Election Commission, 2197 votes are necessary for the election to be valid, and the total valid votes cast were 2230. The Mississippi tribe currently operates three casinos, two of them in Choctaw in Neshoba County: Silver Star and Golden Moon, which was reopened in 2015 after a US$70 million renovation. The third facility is located 13 miles north of Lauren in Bok Hola in junes County.
Choctaw Chief Phyliss J. Anderson, who has been insisting on a new casino for years, had said that a gambling facility would’ve brought US$50 million in annual revenue, as well as 250 additional jobs. “[Without the gambling expansion] less tribal funding will be available to meet the needs of the growing Choctaw population, putting essential tribal services and jobs at risk,” said the financial analysis included in the proposal.
