The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians rejected during a Thursday vote the proposal for the construction of the tribe’s fourth casino, local media reported. According to first numbers released by the Tribal Election Commission, there were 1,404 negative votes cast to 636 positive ones.
The Choctaws currently manage three casinos – Neshoba County’s Silver Star and Golden Moon, which was reopened in 2015 after the completion of a $70-million renovation, as well as Jones County’s Bok Homa casino.
The proposal for a fourth gambling venue first emerged several years ago from Choctaw Chief Phyliss J. Anderson. According to Ms. Anderson, another gambling venue would create new jobs and contribute much-needed additional revenue that could be used to fund different important causes such as the tribe’s scholarship program.
The Choctaw Chief proposed Red Water as the home of the potential fourth casino. The choice of location was heavily contested by many as the Leake County census-designated place is located less than 25 miles away from the existing casino properties in Neshoba County. As reported by local media, it was actually only the community of Red Water that supported the fourth casino proposal at the Thursday election with vote of 133 to 60.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians currently has around 11,000 members. The Tribal Election Commission has previously stated that a total of 2,197 votes would need to be cast in order for the election to be deemed valid.
Why Did the Casino Proposal Gain Opposition?
While the tribe’s Chief has tried to promote heavily the benefits of the construction of a fourth casino, the plan has also gained quite significant opposition over the past several years. Barry McMillan, who is member of the Tribal Council, has been among the staunchest opponents of the proposal.
According to Mr. McMillan a fourth casino, particularly one located not far from existing venues, would cannibalize revenue from those existing properties instead of generating new revenue. The tribal official further noted that this could force the casinos to lay off staff.
Chief Anderson argued that a new casino would generate $50 million in full-year revenue and would create more than 250 new jobs at a time when the state needs expanded employment opportunities. She also confirmed that there would be a certain level of cannibalization but that the tribe would still net over $30 million in annual revenue from the new gambling venue.
She supported her claim with a study that pointed Red Water as the best possible location for the potential casino. The validity of the study in question was heavily contested by Mr. McMillan who argued that it was biased and it was clearly weighing in favor of the proposal. The tribal official also said previously that if the proposal eventually gained the necessary support from members, another location should be selected, one that would secure that no customers and revenue would be stolen from the existing properties.
