East Baton Rouge Parish residents approved a referendum Saturday for Pinnacle Entertainment to build a casino in Baton Rouge. More than 100,000 parish residents came out Saturday to determine Pinnacle Entertainment's future and whether the capital would stay a two-casino city. About 56 percent of residents narrowly approved the referendum for Pinnacle to build a casino in Baton Rouge. District 3 of East Baton Rouge Parish, where the casino is planned to be built, saw a voter turnout of more than 36,000 residents. Pinnacle Entertainment expects to spend about $250 million on the project. Pinnacle Entertainment plans to build the "Casino Riviere" near the corner of Gardere Lane and River Road. Pinnacle Entertainment said the resort will provide about 700 construction jobs, 1,100 permanent jobs and 600 indirect jobs in the surrounding area.
The new casino is scheduled to take up more than 550 acres of land along the Mississippi River, boasting a 100-room hotel and an entertainment venue. Pinnacle Entertainment said the new casino will generate $15 million in new annual tax revenues and $23 million in goods and purchases from Louisiana businesses.
---- Contact J.J. Alcantara at jalcantara@lsureveille.com
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