BOSSIER CITY (AP) — Bossier Parish voters who head to the polls Saturday will be asked to expand riverboat gaming to include a new 18-story Margaritaville resort hotel and casino. The $195 million project would feature a 400-room hotel, a two-story entertainment complex, outdoor tropical pool area, and a 400-seat Margaritaville restaurant, among other amenities. If the option is approved by voters, then Isle of Capri will shut down the Crown Casino boat in Lake Charles. The boat houses the casino’s poker room. Isle of Capri has said it plans to consolidate its operations in Lake Charles onto the adjacent Grand Palais gaming vessel, which is the larger of the two vessels. Isle of Capri agreed to sell the license to Paradise Casino on June 14, 2011. Project developers say the casino’s theme will grow the local gaming market by luring back Dallas gamers from Oklahoma. But some local casino operators argue the addition of a sixth riverboat casino could cannibalize the existing market. Critics say Shreveport-Bossier City’s gaming market could not support additional gaming venues and, if added, Margaritaville would take a bite out of their revenues. Developers tell The Times Margaritaville will create more than 1,200 permanent jobs.

(BRAD PUCKETT / AMERICAN PRESS)