Page 11 - Mississippi/Louisiana Gaming News - Fall, 2022

a chance to pull a slot handle or give the dice a toss.
In honor of his work on getting the legislation passed, it was Gollott who threw out the first pair of dice at the craps table.
Two weeks later, the President Casino opened, followed by the opening of the Biloxi Belle, which was located on the site were Beau Rivage is now located. In September 1992, Hancock County opened its first casino, the former Casino Magic Bay St. Louis, now known as Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast.
Making A Splash
Later that year, Tunica’s first casino opened at Mhoon Landing. The new Splash Casino saw long lines and enthusiastic crowds on its opening day
in October. Splash was the only casino to open in North Mississippi in 1992 and, as a result, was able to charge a $10 admission fee to get into the casino.
A few years earlier, Tunica County was reported to be one of the 25 poorest counties in the United States with the lowest per capita income. Economists saw the burgeoning gaming industry as a way for residents to get out from under poverty and joblessness.
After the immediate success of Splash Casino, the race was on to open more casinos in Tunica. Webster Franklin, president and CEO of the Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau, said, “The thing I remember most from the mid ’90s here in Tunica is the overwhelming demand generated by the casino industry.
When Splash Casino opened in October 1992 there was a $10 cover charge just to get in with a line that backed up for almost three hours waiting for one person to leave so another could be admitted. Our second casino, Lady Luck, opened next door 11 months
later and we all thought that the wait to get in the door would subside. Instead, the three-hour wait outside Splash turned into a two-hour wait outside of both casinos. The $10 cover charge, however, did go away.”
One of the other things that stood out to Franklin was the remarkable transition of the industry from its original location at Mhoon Landing north to the area known today as Tunica Resorts. “The mid-’90s brought the largest gaming corporations in the world to Tunica, building true casino resorts.” Franklin said. “The number of cranes dotting
the Mississippi Delta skyline was a
sight to see as 11 resort properties
and 4,000-plus hotel rooms were all under construction and opened over a 36-month period.”
Building Boom
Back on the Coast the gaming industry was also expanding at a feverish pace.
In 1993, Copa Casino, which began as
a gambling cruise ship out of the Port
of Gulfport, and Grand Casino both opened in Gulfport. The city had only
two casinos, while Biloxi saw continued growth. Casino Magic Biloxi opened
next in June 1993, and was followed in December by Lady Luck Biloxi, known for its “fire-breathing dragon” in front of the casino.
In Warren County, Casino America opened Vicksburg’s first casino, Isle of Capri, in August. Harrah’s Vicksburg opened three months later in November. Tunica also had a number of openings in 1993: Harrah’s Tunica in November, and the President Casino and Bally’s Casino opening on the same day in December.
In just two years, more than a dozen casinos had opened across the state, bringing thousands of jobs and even more in gaming-related tax revenue. The Legislature quickly found uses for these funds, including the expansion
of Highway 61 in Tunica from two to four lanes. Money was also spent on education and public safety.
1994 — A Banner Year
1994 also turned out to be a banner year for casinos in Mississippi as Grand Casino, Treasure Bay, Gold Shore and Boomtown Casino opened in Biloxi. Ameristar Casino and Rainbow Casino became Vicksburg’s third and fourth
Many casinos across the state opened in 1993, including Copa Casino (far left) in Gulfport and Isle of Capri Casino in Vicksburg.
casinos, respectively. In the Tunica area, Treasure Bay opened its second casino; Sam’s Town became the area’s largest casino to date; and Fitzgeralds, Sheraton, Hollywood and Circus Circus (which would lose the circus-tent look and become Gold Strike in 1997) also welcomed visitors. Las Vegas Casino opened in Greenville in Washington County, followed by the city’s second casino, Jubilee, the next year.
Of course, the news was not always positive. Southern Belle opened in Tunica in February 1994, and closed in August that same year. Its sister casino, the Biloxi Belle, the second casino to open on the Gulf Coast, closed soon after in January 1995.
In 1994, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians opened the first of
its three casinos, Silver Star Hotel
& Casino. Although not regulated by the state’s gaming commission, Pearl River Resort plays a positive role in the Mississippi gaming industry. Golden Moon Hotel & Casino soon opened across from Silver Star with a skywalk over the highway connecting the two, and in 2010, Bok Homa opened in Sandersville, Mississippi.
President Casino, Treasure Bay and Splash Casino in the Tunica area and Gold Shore in Biloxi closed in 1995. Properties like Bayou Caddy’s Jubilee in Lake Shore and the Cotton Club in Greenville opened and closed quickly.
Getting A Boost From Gaming
But despite the closings and occasional bankruptcies, tourism in
the gaming cities picked up, as did ancillary businesses such as motels,
gas stations and restaurants. The construction industry also got a needed boost from the gaming industry. Not only were builders working on casino hotels, parking garages and entertainment venues, there was a need for more apartment complexes, houses and business parks. Local governments
also found themselves winning with
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FALL 2022 MISSISSIPPI GAMING NEWS 11