Council member not convinced a casino would benefit Jackson

A casino would not be the economic salvation for the city of Jackson that some people believe it might be.

That’s the opinion of Ashby Foote, who represents Ward 1 on the Jackson City Council.

“I’m not a big casino fan,” Foote said. “We need lots of help and there is lots of work to be done to restore Jackson to where it needs to be, but I’m not sure a casino is the way to do that. It focuses on human weaknesses instead of human strengths.”

A group called Capital City Forward Together, which includes former Governor Haley Barbour, proposed the idea of a casino in Jackson during a meeting of the House Select Committee on Capital and Metro Revitalization last December. Rep. Shanda Yates, an Independent who represents District 64 (Hinds and Madison counties), and Clay Mansell, a Republican who represents District 56 (Hinds and Madison counties), serve as co-chairs of the committee.

David Blount, a Democrat who represents District 29 (Hinds County), said on Jan. 15 that no Senate bill on the subject had been introduced for consideration.

“If one is filed, we will study it closely,” said Blount, chair of the Senate Gaming Committee.

As of Jan. 21, no bill has been introduced in the House or Senate that would allow a casino in Jackson.

Blount said Barbour called him during the 2024 legislative session in support of a bill that would have allowed a casino in Jackson but the bill failed. He said no one has contacted him about the issue this year, he said.

Blount believes any discussion about a possible casino in Jackson should involve the elected city leadership and should be transparent and competitive for all interested parties.

Virgi Lindsay, who represents Ward 7 and serves as president of the city council, said she needs more information.

“I’m waiting to see what the legislation says and how the Legislature reacts to it,” she said.

As state law stands now, casinos are allowed only along the Mississippi Gulf Coast or the Mississippi River if voters in the county where a casino is going to be located approve.

Mississippi originally specified that casinos

could be developed only over water. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, legislators changed the law to allow casinos to be developed a short distance from the shore.

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians operate Pearl River Resort, which includes Golden Moon Casino and Hotel, and Bok Homa Casino in the state. The Choctaw Gaming Commission regulates those operations.