By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – The St. Tammany Corporation released more phases this week in their $65,000 study on the proposed casino in Slidell, with every piece of information continuing to claim there is not one negative issue for the community to worry about from the resort and casino operation.
For that matter, the study suggested crime would decline after they cited seven casino cities where crime had gone down since the casino had opened.
The casino proposed by Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) is aiming at a Dec. 11 parishwide vote when they must get a majority to approve gaming in the parish. The casino ownership already purchased property off the Oak Harbor exit off I-10 and proposes a $325 million gaming and entertainment resort there.
After releasing the first two phases last week of the seven phase study, covering the topics of Business Impacts and Property Values, the next three phases came out this week and reported on Social Impacts, Median Incomes and Public Safety.
The study was conducted by Convergence Strategy Group (CSG) out of New Orleans and was immediately criticized for being anything but “independent,” as ST Corp CEO Chris Masingill claimed it was. St. Tammany Corporation is the parish agency which heads economic development and led the way for the California gaming company to consider the Slidell site.
Criticism of the study was due to the fact the two partners in Convergence, Dr. Scott Fisher and Suzanne Leckert, acknowledged on their website doing hundreds of casino or gaming related studies, with Fisher being a former co-owner in more than one casino, and the company receiving the majority of their revenue from casino or gaming related studies.
However, Masingill continued to celebrate the study as new information supporting ST Corp’s previous studies which suggest a huge economic impact for St. Tammany, and especially Slidell, if the casino is approved.
“They found no negatively impacted property values, no patterns of business closures, sales taxes increased, home values equal to or higher than the area—everything was very positive,” he said.
P2E is promising $35 million to build a Slidell area multi-use sports complex, plus 5 percent of the casino’s net gaming operation to be split among several dozen agencies or non-profits in the parish.
The latest areas of the report from Convergence stated the following:
Public Safety: The probability of a resident being a victim of crime has not been shown to increase because of the presence of a gaming facility. The crime rate per capital in casino areas generally falls after casino development. This drop in crime rate is partially attributable to increased security presence from both casino security and any dedicated police patrols. These conclusions are drawn from CSG’s analyses of FBI crime statistics, through interviews with public safety officials in casino communities across the United States, as well as confirmed through third party research. With casino development, there may be a need for additional public safety efforts similar to what are necessary with any large development such as a big-box store. Camellia Bay is expected to have a robust security and surveillance program, will be establishing a St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office substation, and securing increased patrols for the neighborhood surrounding the development.
Social Impacts: Evidence in emerging and established casino markets shows no correlation between the opening/presence of a gaming resort and rates of divorce or bankruptcy. In markets that already have access to gaming, the addition of a resort casino gaming development does not increase problem gaming rates.
Median Incomes: The data shows no negative impact from casinos on host communities and instead casino openings have preceded measurable median income growth. The study noted income growth in casino communities such as Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Pittsburg, KS, and Tiverton, RI.