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New casino seeks go-ahead today

Published 12:07am Thursday, October 27, 2011

Natchez — Just six days before a City of Natchez-imposed deadline, the company hoping to bring a second casino to town received the needed approval to go before the Mississippi Gaming Commission at its meeting today.

Natchez Gaming Enterprises LLC and its proposed Roth Hill casino are on the agenda for the commission’s 9 a.m. meeting in Jackson.

The Natchez Board of Aldermen voted in an April meeting to amend the 4-year-old lease agreement with Natchez Gaming Enterprises LLC to give the company an additional six months to receive approval from the commission in exchange for $100,000.

The amendment went into effect on April 26 and gives the city the option to terminate the lease if Natchez Gaming Enterprises LLC is not approved by the gaming commission to move forward by Oct. 31.

The deadline for approval to be on today’s agenda was Sept. 30. But Commission Executive Director Allen Godfrey said the commission was able to work with the company, whose application was incomplete when it was submitted before the deadline, to get them on the agenda.

Kevin Preston, the president of the operating company Premier Gaming — which has authority to act on behalf of Natchez Enterprises LLC — said the company was waiting on another funding letter that came in last-minute.

Preston said Natchez Enterprises LLC is seeking approval to proceed with development from the commission today.

Godfrey said application processes seldom happen the way Natchez Enterprises LLC’s did.

“There’s just not many that have to go this far,” he said. This one did and we were able to work with them,” he said.

Mayor Jake Middleton said he will be at the meeting. He said he could not make a definitive call, but he is optimistic about the approval of Natchez Gaming Enterprises LLC’s application.

“You can’t get on the agenda unless you have all the paperwork in place and ready to go,” he said.

“We’re just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping it’s good news,” Middleton said.

Natchez Gaming Enterprises LLC first received site approval for the casino from the commission in 2007 and approval to proceed with development in 2008.

The approval expired after the company failed to submit proper financial documentation with a certain period of time.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PJYRCK3MJP5WIADNZ5476BWVMM Kathy

    I thought they already had the go ahead..whatever..sick of reading about this bs!

  • Anonymous

    Would be nice to be a smoke free casino, but I can’t see another boat making profit to compete in this economy after one year. Good Luck anyway !

  • http://www.natchezdemocrat.com khakirat

    The Mayor should tell these people to go take a hike and give this property to the people of Natchez to use to what they want as a family outing. I feel this is a mistake to get mixed up with these casino people that will tie this property up another five year doing nothing where the taxpayers would get something from it!!

  • http://www.funbuscasinotours.webs.com CASINO_BUS_TO_VICKSBURG

    Hope everything goes well !  Looking forward to another casino in Natchez !!

  • Anonymous

    This is the first time we’ve had good news on this matter, and I’m grateful for it!  Whether you like casinos or not (I’m not a fan, myself), they DO bring in revenue, which is something our community needs! :)

  • Anonymous

    A smoke free casino would be neat . I played black jack next to a heavy smoker in Vicksburg . When I left the casino the smoke from that place was all in my clothes and hair . I could smell the smoke in my hands and skin . Some of these casinos claim to have smoke free areas but you still come out smelling like a smoker . No offense to smokers but a smoke free casino would be great .

  • Anonymous

    Iin a way agree with your comment, BUT….Takee a look at Vicksburg, Tunica, ect….There towns have flourished and grown alot since the gaming industry…No its not all the gaming, and BTW your talkint toa person that DOES NOT GAMBLE, but the revanew could help the town grow…then make a nicer comminity with the money.

  • Anonymous

    VERY MUCH AGREE

  • Anonymous

    My friend down the street is employed by  the Isle of Capri. He says they make them buy their own drinks,lunch,etc.Cutting their perks and benefits to the bone,,He said he doesn,t seem them lasting a long time in Natchez..We need another casino to go with our multi-million dollar highway intersection near the old chevrolet place that the same cars that were going up and down the road last year will be traveling on..waste of millions of dollars. Why wait until Natchez is about to completely shutdown and pour hundreds of thousands into our intersections????? And Roth Hill is just like the Rentech old IP scam. The same people lining their pockets with zero happening

  • Anonymous

    The Pile of Debris is a DUMP!!! Now, all we need is another DUMP to compliment the original…. Simple economics, supply and demand—you cater to your market…. We will never have a Beau Rivage like in Biloxi…..  We end up with welfare boats serving neck bones and pigs feet on their buffet….

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