If you live in St. Tammany, you certainly have heard all the latest on the Parish President, Kevin Davis. Not only does he want to have the opportunity to serve another term (Eddie ain’t getting his job fer sure), but to build a casino. I did not live here when gambling was previously voted down in St. Tammany. But, from the tone of comments on the teh internets, I’d say people had strong opinions one way or another. I live in Mandeville, quite a distance the proposed spot in Slidell. Though we share the same Parish, we seem worlds apart. I would not want a casino in Madisonville, Mandeville, Lacombe, Abita Springs or Covington. Yep, the “not in my backyard” litmus test works well for me. This casino should be scrutinized as though it were going in your backyard. Because, after all, who is to say another one won’t come to a neighborhood near you real soon once if it is passed?

Being a practical and skeptical person about the intentions of this casino, I have a few questions that would need to be answered to convince me that this is a good idea:

Who is the target audience for this casino? Tourists? Locals?
How is Harrah’s doing financially?
Is Harrah’s able to pull in tourists or just locals?
Is Harrah’s able to fill their entertainment audience with sold out shows?
Will this casino be in proximity of a residential area – school?
What local politicians have their hand in this cookie jar so far?
What is the success rate of casinos over a long period of time?
Will this casino offer anything unique to the area?
Besides offering jobs, what else will this casino offer and be able to give back to the community?

Here is where you convince me one way or another or just give me your 2 cents!