P2E Not Happy with Opposition to Casino License Transfer

Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) is trying to transfer its casino license to Slidell and is not happy with the opposition of the change.

Peninsula Pacific Entertainment (P2E) has a casino license in Louisiana from a closed DiamondJacks Casino and the company is currently looking to relocate the license to Slidell. Unfortunately, the effort is encountering opposition that the operator is not happy about. P2E says the opposition is unwarranted.

Moving to Slidell

The gaming company closed the DiamondJacks venue in 2020 and has been unable to reopen in Bossier City due to the pandemic. Now, P2E wants to move the license to Slidell and open a new venue at the Lakeshore Marina on Lake Pontchartrain. The facility would cost $325 million to complete and would include a casino and hotel.

In November, residents in the Slidell parish will vote to allow or not allow the casino in the area. If the ballot vote results in a simple majority, then P2E will have completed the largest obstacle in its move to another parish in Louisiana.

There are a few people in the state that are not happy with the casino license move. Some people who live near the area where the casino would move are voicing their opposition. Dr. Jason Goltz and his wife launched a petition effort opposing the casino. The petition had over 1,400 signatures on it.

Another petition was filed soon after within the state Gaming Control Board saying the state would be committing an act that is illegal and unconstitutional if they allow the license to move. The effort has moved to a Judicial District Court to see if a judge will block the vote for the casino license move.

In the second petition, the complaint says that the referendums to authorize casino gambling must be parish wide. The question on the ballot this November will ask voters to legalize the casino in a location, not within a parish. Two more lawsuits were also filed in an attempt to stop the progression of the casino relocation.

The locals seem to be strongly opposed and not afraid to take their actions to court in the hopes of stopping the effort altogether. There are still a few months before the vote is set to take place, so we may see even more legal action taken to try to stop P2E in its tracks.

Fighting Back

P2E is not happy with the negative press and of course the court actions. The company has representatives who have stated that the lawsuits are opposing 1,700 jobs in construction that the project would create as well as 1,000 permanent positions for full-time employees.

The company says the opposition is due to the project seeing so much support. P2E feels that the minority opposition are trying to stop the vote from taking place because it would move the development forward.

In a statement, P2E said that opponents are pushing unfounded lawsuits and deception to stop neighbors from voting on the development opportunity for the local economy. It is expected that the Slidell casino would bring anywhere from $7.5 million to $9 million to the parish each year.

With a successful vote in November, the company plans to donate $5 million to the ring levee in Slidell. A further $30 million will be invested to create a sports and entertainment complex within the same marina area.

It will be interesting to see if the project is allowed to move forward or if the vote will be stopped via the many lawsuits filed. There is no doubt, neither side is going to back down any time soon.