Video poker casino operates with little concern

Louisiana -- A video poker casino billed as a truck stop on North Market Street has opened two years after the original operators started seeking the needed permits.

Early on, Silver Dollar Casino in the 1300 block of North Market drew opposition from residents of the Cherokee Park neighborhood because of concerns about crime and increased traffic on the busy street.


However, Shreveport's Zoning Board of Appeals approved a special-use permit for Market Street Truck Plaza in October 2005. City Council members upheld that decision.

Cherokee Highland Park Neighborhood Association dropped its opposition when the truck stop operators sought a liquor permit earlier this year. The neighborhood organization was satisfied the truck stop wasn't near homes in the neighborhood, said Reginald Wright, a spokesman for the organization.

The video poker truck stop changed hands a little more than a year ago when Jacobs Entertainment Inc. bought it. Jacobs Entertainment, based in Golden, Colo., owns 21 video poker truck plazas in Louisiana, two casinos in Colorado, three in Nevada and a racetrack in Virginia.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commissions, Jacobs Entertainment indicated it started operating Valero-branded gas and diesel pumps in February and bought the business in March.

The company also took over a long-term land lease from the previous owner.

The site includes a Williams Chicken restaurant, parking for 18-wheelers and the casino building, which sat empty until after the state Gaming Control Board approved the operation in September.

The 24-hour video poker casino/lounge contains 50 machines, up from 35 proposed in the 2005 application to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Silver Dollar is among 13 video poker truck stop operations that opened statewide since November 2006. The number of truck stops grew from 130 five years ago to 175 in November, but the total number of video gaming locations statewide declined in the same period.

News Added: 15 December, 2007

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