Coast Casinos Announce Plans Today

Coast casinos to state plans

By Nell Luter Floyd
nlfloyd@clarionledger.com

Every gaming company with a Gulf Coast casino except one plans to unveil part of its plan when the Mississippi Gaming commission meets today at Imperial Palace Casino in Biloxi

The one holdout is Harrah's Entertainment, which owns Grand Casino-Biloxi and Grand Casino-Gulfport.

Scott Andress, a Jackson gaming lawyer, said just how much information casinos provide will vary."Some are further along in their rebuilding plans," he said. "Others may not yet be certain regarding their building plans. Still others, because they may be publicly traded companies, might not be able to divulge their plans at this stage of the game."

Hurricane Katrina on Aug. 29 severely damaged 11 of the 12 casinos operating on the Gulf Coast. A 13th casino, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Biloxi, was days from opening and suffered damage.The Gulf Coast casinos employed 17,000 people and contributed $500,000 in state and local gaming tax revenue daily.

The commission is expected to approve the Isle of Capri's plans to open a temporary casino by the end of the year in the ballroom of its Biloxi hotel, said Larry Gregory, commission executive director.

Imperial Palace in Biloxi plans to reopen its casino by Dec. 31, but it doesn't need approval from the commission. It plans to return its casino to its barge, which stayed in place during Katrina but was flooded. Its hotel is housing FEMA workers.New Palace Casino in Biloxi also plans to reopen its casino by the first of the year. It doesn't need the commission's approval because it will be on its barge, Gregory said.

The commission Thursday also is expected to approve for the second time the gaming site and site plans of Emerald Star Resorts Inc. for the proposed Emerald Star Casino & Resort in Natchez. Approval would allow Emerald Star Resorts to proceed with the project.The company received site approval for the casino in February 2004. But it is starting the approval process over because it restructured its company and wasn't going to meet the two-year deadline from receipt of the original site approval to open the casino, said Andress, who represents Emerald Star Resorts Inc.

The company now has financing for the project, he said.

Plans for the $53 million Emerald Star Casino call for an 87,000-square-foot barge equipped with 800 slot machines and 30 table games. Plans also call for the existing Ramada Inn and The Briars bed-and-breakfast inn — the site where Jefferson Davis married Varina Howell in 1845 — to be purchased and become part of the Emerald Star Casino development.