Editorial: Say no to Mississippi Choctaw casino

Monday, October 29, 2007  

"Gov. Haley Barbour has brought some needed certainty to the debate about a proposed Choctaw casino in the now no-gaming Jackson County.

Barbour says he will not allow a casino in Jackson County, even if residents vote "yes" in a non-binding referendum next month.

The casino is proposed by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians for 100 acres of tribal land near Ocean Springs. It would be a $375 million resort to add to the Choctaws' two casinos on the reservation in Neshoba County.

Indian casinos are not regulated by the state and the proposal has raised several questions. It also has brought opposition from Gulf Coast casinos.

Not only would the Choctaw casino have a location advantage as the first stop from Alabama and Florida, strong market areas, the Indian casinos are not subject to the same regulations and - most important - taxes imposed on the state regulated gaming companies."

Get the Story:
Coast casino: Keep a level playing field (The Jackson Clarion-Ledger 10/27)