Remember those floating casinos washed ashore by Hurricane Katrina? The Mississippi Legislature wants to let them stay there – or, more accurately, let them rebuild on land.
Despite strong opposition from Mississippi Baptists and other religious groups, state senators voted 29-21 Oct. 3 to give final approval to a bill aimed at reinvigorating an industry that provides about 15,000 jobs to Mississippi’s decimated coastal region.
The state’s House of Representatives approved the measure just days earlier during a special legislative session called by Gov. Haley Barbour, who also supports the bill.
Mississippi first legalized gambling in 1990 – but only at barge casinos docked on the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast. The practice is becoming a common way to get around laws against traditional land-based gambling.
Katrina’s Aug. 29 storm surge destroyed 13 casinos in Gulfport, Biloxi and other coastal cities. The wind-driven waves tore many of the massive structures from their moorings, depositing them hundreds of yards inland. Owners say they need to rebuild on dry land to minimize such losses in the future.
(ABP)
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