DATE: June 22, 2010
GOVERNOR BARBOUR ASKS MISSISSIPPI BAND OF CHOCTAWS TO WITHDRAW CASINO PLAN
Jackson, Mississippi – Governor Haley Barbour today asked the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to halt plans to open a “slot parlor” in Jones County.
“The proposed pre-fabricated metal building offering merely slot machines and a snack bar raises numerous concerns, ranging from detrimental effects to the health and safety of our citizens to negative environmental and economic impacts to this region of the State,” Governor Barbour wrote in a letter to Miko Beasley Denson.
Governor Barbour has asked State Attorney General Jim Hood to review applicable state and federal laws and regulations, the Tribal-State Compact, and Indian gaming regulations and pursue legal action if necessary to stop the expansion of tribal gaming in Mississippi.
“Clearly, what the tribe has proposed in Jones County does not benefit and protect the citizens of the Tribe and the State; rather, it appears that this project will be at the expense of the State and local governments,” Governor Barbour wrote.
Barbour Press
6/22/10
Magnolia Tribune
