Video Poker 24/7 - Bill Would Return Wagering

Video Poker 247 - Bill Would Return Wagering

Recent legislation to bring horse racing back to Lafayette Parish is coming under fire as many don’t want gambling legalized again. In 1997, residents voted to outlaw video poker and said that they do not want gambling in their town.

The vote to outlaw video poker had moved Evangeline Downs to Opelousas – where they wanted video poker as well as a slew of other gambling games.

Senate Bill 785, introduced by Sen. Nick Gautreaux, would bring back racing and wagering but would not go to the residents for approval. It would bring racing back to the abandoned track, which is still owned by Carrol Castille. Castille says that the bill would help out the quarter horse industry tremendously, and as that is a big business in the Lafayette area – it would help them as well.

The race track would become an entertainment complex as well, and a “destination point for tourism” according to Castille. He says that when the track was moved the town lost a lot of revenue, and this would help them out tremendously.

However, the opposition doesn’t care about the revenues. They say that they have been very clear about the fact that video poker and racing are not welcome there. In fact, the Opelousas Mayor, Donald Cravins, Sr. says that the town had their chance to bring in the video poker games and the horse racing revenue and they declined it. He says that they cannot turn around and change their mind when they have already spent hundreds of millions in the facility that is now housing it.

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