Page 26 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2018

COASTNOTES
Local Gaming Pioneers
ATmong First Hall of Fame Inductees
story by Lori Beth Susman photos by Donn Hupp
hree local men — Sen. Tommy Gollott, Rick Carter and Terry Green — are members of the inaugural class of the Mississippi Gaming Hall of Fame. They were inducted at the Southern
Gaming Summit, an event sponsored by the Mississippi Gaming & Hospitality Association and held at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino.
Sen. Gollott and Larry Gregory
Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour described the inductees
as “real giants” in the industry. In addition to Gollott, Carter and Green, the pioneer gaming honorees for
2018 include Lyle Berman, Grand Casinos co-founder; Bernard “Bernie” Goldstein, Isle of Capri Casinos founder; William S. Boyd, Boyd Gaming executive chairman; and Jack Binion, Horseshoe Gaming Holding Corporation founder.
Sen. Tommy Gollott is currently the longest serving member in the state Legislature. He was instrumental in getting gaming legislation passed,
Rick Carter, Larry Gregory and Terry Green
and has often said the bill to allow dockside gaming in the state was one of the greatest pieces of legislation ever passed in the Mississippi Legislature.
He reminisced about those years
in the early ’90s, saying his father was worried the mafia would come after him for introducing gaming legislation. “I’m proud to have introduced the legislation,” Gollott said. “It’s done wonders for the state. I appreciate being inducted into this Hall of Fame.”
Rick Carter and Terry Green are
the principals of Gulfside Casino Partnership, which operates Island View Casino Resort in Gulfport. They are credited as pioneers of dockside gaming in Mississippi — founders
of the Pride of Mississippi, a gaming vessel based in Gulfport in 1988. The two men helped pave the way for domestic dockside gaming across the state and throughout the country.
Their efforts in actively lobbying the Mississippi legislature resulted in the passage of the Cruise Ship Gaming Act. In 1990, Carter and Green’s continued advocacy led to passage of the Mississippi Gaming Control Act, legalizing gaming in the state. Their vessel was reintroduced in 1992 as Copa Casino.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina,
which destroyed the Copa, the partners were at the forefront of lobbying for Mississippi Bill 45 to allow land-based gaming. They purchased the former Grand Casino Gulfport, and after reinvesting their personal capital, opened the doors to Island View Casino Resort, the first new land-based casino on the Gulf Coast.
In April 2015, Carter and Green opened the Beach Tower, a $58 million expansion. A $75 million expansion of a second casino adjacent to the Beach Tower opened in June.
26 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • July 2018 FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net