Bossier casino gets more time for next move after St. Tammany voters reject relocation

By: Greg LaRose - January 20, 2022 4:47 pm

The roulette wheel spins at Caesars Atlantic City July 8, 2006, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

The owners of a Bossier City riverboat casino will get a little more time to determine their next move after voters in St. Tammany Parish rejected a proposal in December to transfer the gaming license there.

DiamondJacks had until Feb. 9 to resume gambling at its current site as a condition for putting its relocation up for a vote. It has been closed since May 2020, with operators blaming pandemic restrictions for a drop in business that led to 341 employees being laid off.

On Thursday, the casino asked the state Gaming Control Board to delay the reopening until Feb. 25, with the promise that owners Pacific Peninsula Entertainment would bring a new plan for the venue to the board at its Feb. 17 meeting.

Board members approved the extension without discussion or questions for casino attorney Peter Connick, who offered no details on what the plan might entail.

Pacific Peninsula Entertainment had pitched a $325 million development, Camellia Bay Resort near Slidell, if voters in St. Tammany approved the transfer of DiamondJacks’ gambling license to that location. The proposition failed with 63% of voters opposed to it. Law enforcement leaders throughout the parish rallied against the project, saying it would increase crime.

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Greg LaRose

Greg LaRose has covered news for more than 30 years in Louisiana. Before coming to the Louisiana Illuminator, he was the chief investigative reporter for WDSU-TV in New Orleans. He previously led the government and politics team for The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com, and was editor in chief at New Orleans CityBusiness. Greg's other career stops include Tiger Rag, South Baton Rouge Journal, the Covington News Banner, Louisiana Radio Network and multiple radio stations.