Pinnacle Entertainment bought a $1.1 million, 35-acre tract on River Road with plans to open what would be the third riverboat casino in Baton Rouge, a move we think is unnecessary and an obstacle in rebuilding the city of New Orleans. Pinnacle Entertainment claims the casino will help Baton Rouge’s economy, and yes, a casino can be a major boon to a city. The resurgence of casino activity in Mississippi shows that casinos can bring in a great deal of revenue. But shouldn’t the state, who approves casino activity, be concerned with trying to rebuild New Orleans and South Louisiana before it begins looking at improving a city largely unaffected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita? Regardless, we do not see how a third casino could boost the Baton Rouge economy. The city is located between two of the largest gaming venues in Louisiana – New Orleans and Lake Charles – and just a few hours south of Shreveport, a city that boasts a number of gambling opportunities. To get to Baton Rouge from any direction, casino-goers would have to drive through cities with far more casinos to offer. We feel it would be a mistake to try and compete with cities who largely survive off gambling, especially when the vast majority of people who visit Baton Rouge’s existing two casinos are Baton Rouge residents. Louisiana geography professor Craig Colton told The Daily Reveille that Baton Rouge has the smallest gambling market in the state. And Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti’s 2004 figures show that the Baton Rouge area residents compose 93 percent of the city’s casino visitors, and only 7 percent come from outside the metro area or out of state. If the two casinos in the city attract customers who live locally, what is the logic behind adding a third? Members of this board have never seen huge crowds and long lines at the two casinos already established in Baton Rouge. There has been no public outcry for a third casino. The company sees the casino as a means of competing with Mississippi’s recent decisions to loosen gambling restrictions. But is this the way to compete with Mississippi? Baton Rouge is not a gaming competitor with other cities in Louisiana, let alone other states with more casinos to offer. The state needs to remain focused on rebuilding New Orleans, a city known for its gaming, relaxed nightlife and lifestyle. Now is not the time to take long-shot odds on Baton Rouge. Louisiana cannot afford to gamble.
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