City Council members for the city of Jackson, Mississippi, have put the proposal to build a nearly billion-dollar casino and resort along the Pearl River on hold.
Following the declaration of roughly 93 acres as surplus property, Mayor John Horhn executed an option to sell to LeFleur Development LLC for approximately $111,000.
However, council members are concerned that the city is selling the land for too little. Councilman Ashby Foote said: " If we just okayed this and sold the option for $1,000, and then two months from now, it became worth $20m, we would look pretty foolish."
Another issue brought up by the city officials was regarding the possibility the state would not allow the casino to operate. Concilman Kenneth Stokes also questioned whether other regions in Mississippi would fight efforts to allow Jackson to have a casino.
Nevertheless, Mayor Horhn believes the development could generate up to $24m a year in new sales and property taxes and create 2,600 direct jobs.
"The amount of ad valorem tax, the amount of property tax, that would be generated is going to depend on the development. It could be something very substantial and it could not be. It just depends on what the development is going to be,” Horhn declared in a statement to a local outlet.
In August, the Mississippi Gaming Commission reported a 6.5% decrease of revenue, generating $201.4m, with the state's coastal region responsible for the most gaming activity. Sports betting revenue, specifically, fell to 15.8% to just over $2.1m.
Mississippi’s gaming regulator reported a slot machine revenue decrease of 5.4% year-over-year for August 2026
