Vicksburg man wants Gaming Commission investigated by Legislature

Thursday, June 15, 2000 | 10:56 a.m.

Pennebaker owns land next to the planned site for a casino and racetrack on the Big Black River.

The site was rejected by the Gaming Commission in 1996 as unsuitable. Three Vicksburg casinos, the City of Vicksburg and business groups opposed the development 13 miles closer to Jackson as harmful to tourism.

Hinds County Circuit Judge Breland Hilburn overturned in commission in 1997, and a Pike County jury found the casinos' lobbying efforts unlawfully restrained trade in 1999, awarding Pennebaker $1 million. Both cases are pending on appeal before the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Pennebaker's most recent move, appealing to the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, comes on the heels of a new plea to the Gaming Commission filed Monday.

Max Arinder, director of the PEER Committee, said his staff would examine the request. Committee members meet July 11.

"We're unable to talk about a request or what we might do beforehand," Arinder said.

While he now has the Pike County verdict on his side, Pennebaker said he doesn't expect gaming commissioners to act on his updated petition.

"We don't anticipate that they're going to even comment on it," he said.

Gaming Commission executive director Chuck Patton said Thursday he had no comment on the matter.

The two casinos named in the complaint are Harrah's Vicksburg and Ameristar Casino.

Isle of Capri was named in the Pike County lawsuit but settled for an undisclosed amount.

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