A new cardroom for the community of Selma was proposed for the Legends restaurant. Voters shot it down.

Voters in Selma will have to take a gamble when they vote this November if they want to allow gambling in the city.

In December 2019, the Selma City Council unanimously voted to put Measure L on the Nov. 3 ballot. It asks voters to approve a licensed cardroom, or gambling establishment at one single location in the city’s Regional Commercial Zone.

For Measure L to pass, a simple majority of 50% plus one vote would be needed by voters.

The Selma cardroom would pay a licensing fee to the city, which would be a percentage of the gross revenue collected from the cardroom.

Dwight Nelson, who owns Selma Auto Mall, Legends Tap House and Grill and Holiday Inn in Selma, which are all under The Nelson Group, is proposing the cardroom.

If approved, the cardroom will go in the 4,000 square-foot banquet room of Legends Tap House and will fit 30 gaming tables.

The remodel costs, with furniture and fixtures, equipment, and the addition of more space will be approximately $1 million.

According to a published ballot statement, a vote “yes” on Measure L would improve public safety services, repair streets and roads, improve recreational programs, keep money within the city, create local jobs and benefit residents, businesses and visitors through tax revenue.

When fully operational, the proposed cardroom will employ around 160 people.

“Cardrooms are a recreational activity,” Nelson said. “Fresno has Club One, Clovis has the 500 Club. There are 74 cardrooms allowed in California. It’s a major business and brings major impact. The fees that the city charges can generate up to $1 million per year in revenue that we do not have currently.”

Nelson, a life-long resident of Selma, said that revenue from the casino will be able to provide more funding to hire seven more officers for the Selma Police Department support and local youth groups.

One of the inspirations for Nelson was hearing about the victims of gang violence. He wants to give back to the community he has grown up in his whole life.

In 2019, Selma was ranked at 71 on a list of 100 most dangerous cities to live in in America, according to the national Council for Home Safety and Security. A number of shootings in recent years have undoubtedly garnered that reputation.

Amber Nelson Billingsley, marketing director for the Nelson Group, said they have been campaigning for over eight weeks to bring attention to Measure L from voters.

“We are campaigning all over the City of Selma with newspaper ads, mailers, and we are utilizing social media to educate the community on the benefits that the cardroom would bring,” Billingsley said.

Currently there is a moratorium on new cardrooms that will last until January 1, 2023. Nelson would still have to try and get a carve out from the state legislature to build before the moratorium ends.

The first 10% of the revenue collected by the casino will go directly to the city.

Nelson said that the city council, city manager and city attorney are all on board with the proposal, knowing that it is not the only solution, but a part of the solution to help curtail violence in Selma.

Calls to members of the city council seeking comment for this story were not returned.

Opponents of the project argue that gambling in the city would lead to further vice such as crime and prostitution. They also point toward the Vineyard Casino in nearby Fowler. Built in 1996, the 48,000 square-foot cardroom only operated for 10 months before closing under pressure from debt. It sat vacant for six years and is now home to the Worship Centre Church.

The Selma cardroom will provide high paying jobs for table dealers, cashiers, accountants, and employees in payroll and receivables, which Nelson said provides better jobs than something like a McDonalds, which doesn’t provide high wages.

“People will have some really great food opportunities, and meet their friends and have something to do. There is not a lot of recreational activities for adults in Selma,” Nelson said. “Clovis has it, Fresno Visalia has it, Delano has it — lots of towns have cardrooms. There’s a need for it — there’s a real desire from the large portion of the population to have some fun.”