Louisiana casino proposal moves to the Senate

A bill to allow a new Louisiana casino to open in St. Tammany has cleared the Senate Finance Committee and will go to the state governor’s desk if the upper chamber passes it unchanged.

US.- A proposal for a new casino in Louisiana has cleared a major hurdle and moved a step closer to final approval after it was passed by the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.

The committee had been a barrier for such initiatives, but finally voted for House Bill 702, which would set a gaming venue just outside Slidell, in St. Tammany.

Casino operator Peninsula Pacific has closed its DiamondJacks casino in Bossier Parish following poor performance and wants to move the licence to a new site, but it needs the St. Tammany region to reverse an anti-casino vote from 1996.

“There’s no doubt this will be a positive economic impact for the state of Louisiana,” said state senator Patrick McMath.

HB702 has already been passed by the House and now moves to the Senate. If approved unchanged, it will go to the governor’s desk for final approval.