Locals offer differing views on new casino
Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 17, 2005
NATCHEZ &8212; Jenny Smith loves to come to the Isle of Capri Casino in Natchez.
She and husband Todd come to town from Winnsboro, La., where they live, about once a month to gamble and spend time in the city.
&8220;We love Natchez and we like to come put a little money in the slots,&8221; Smith said.
And Smith may soon have more choice about where she wants to play the slots.
Charles Cato, a Florida developer, has received approval to locate a casino in Natchez.
The prospect of another casino in the area sounds just fine to Smith and to Jimmy Rice, who was in Tuesday from Franklin County to spend some time in the Isle of Capri.
&8220;Another place to play would be great,&8221; Rice said.
Natchez has had a casino since 1992, when the Lady Luck, now the Isle of Capri, first opened on the Mississippi River just north of the bridge.
The Isle of Capri had about $36 million in revenue in 2004, providing $630,000 in tax revenue to the City of Natchez and $270,000 to Adams County, Natchez City Clerk Donnie Holloway said.
But the prospect of another casino coming to the area seems to one on which local residents have differing opinions. Several locals interviewed Tuesday said they were all for a new business coming to the area. But others said they had concerns about bringing more gambling to the Miss-Lou.
Vidalia resident Courtney Williams would just as soon not see another casino come to the area.
&8220;I don&8217;t think we need gambling at all,&8221; Williams said. &8220;Having another casino would just make things worse.&8221;
Williams said gambling is wrong and the addition of another casino to the area will only hurt.
Natchez resident Marie Minor took a more moderate view. Though she doesn&8217;t gamble herself, she does believe the casino benefits the city.
&8220;There&8217;s a lot of local people that get jobs there and other places in town because of people coming to the casino,&8221; Minor said.