Casino falls short on application deadline
Published 12:57 am Friday, September 23, 2011
NATCHEZ — Natchez Gaming Enterprises LLC, the company responsible for the proposed Roth Hill casino, failed to submit a complete application to the Mississippi Gaming Commission for a spot on the commission’s agenda for its September meeting, Mississippi Gaming Commission Executive Director Allen Godfrey said.
Godfrey said he could not disclose specifics about what was incomplete. The commission met Thursday.
Natchez Enterprises received site approval for the Roth Hill site from the commission in 2007 and, subsequently, received approval to proceed with development in 2008. Godfrey said on Thursday the prior approval expired after Natchez Enterprises failed to submit proper financial documentation within an allotted time period following approval.
Godfrey said the deadline for an application to be considered at the Mississippi Gaming Commission’s October meeting is Sept. 30. Godfrey said if Natchez Enterprises completes its application, it will be reviewed by the commission which will decide whether the application will be considered at the meeting.
In an April meeting, the Natchez Board of Aldermen voted to amend the lease agreement with Natchez Enterprises to give the company an additional six months to receive approval from the commission in exchange for $100,000. The amendment, which went into effect on April 26, gives the city the option to terminate lease if Natchez Enterprises is not approved by the gaming commission to move forward by Oct. 31.
Efforts to reach Kevin Preston, the president of the operating company Premier Gaming that has authority to act on behalf of Natchez Enterprises, LLC, and the attorney for Natchez Enterprises, LLC Thursday were unsuccessful.