As Baton Rouge strives to improve its night life and overall city development, an important issue will appear on the ballot Feb. 9.
Pinnacle Entertainment is pitching the idea of building a casino in south Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River near Gardere Lane.
The proposal has met heated resistance from residents near the planned casino site and potential local competitors including Hollywood and Belle of Baton Rouge casinos.
Pinnacle’s plans for the casino, which will be called Riviere, include a 70,000 square-foot casino, a few restaurants, a 100-room hotel and a facility for entertainment. Pinnacle officials have also reportedly said the casino will create 1,100 jobs and about 700 more construction-related jobs.
One of the main issues brought against Pinnacle is that if the casino is built, then one of the existing casinos – either Hollywood or Belle of Baton Rouge – will be forced to close.
This argument simply is not solid. Our country’s foundation is a free-market economy centered around competition, which ultimately improves the quality of a product or service. Blocking a company from increasing competition does not coincide with our nation’s way of doing business and is irrelevant in this instance.
Another argument against Pinnacle is the casino will cause traffic problems in the area. But the company has a history of improving traffic. Pinnacle constructed a road near one of its casinos in Texas to help patrons avoid travel headaches.
Likewise, Pinnacle officials have publicly promised to take care of any foreseeable traffic problems around the complex.
Anyone familiar with the L’Auberge Du Lac Casino in Lake Charles can take a peek at Pinnacle’s award-winning work. Why should Baton Rouge residents prevent a proven company from seeking to build a nice casino in our area?
If Pinnacle’s casino cannot survive in Baton Rouge, that is a problem the company must deal with. But the company deserves a shot to at least prove itself as a viable and profitable entity in the area.
This board recommends voting ‘Yes’ for Pinnacle on the Feb. 9 ballot.
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