In
the days following the destruction meted by Hurricane Katrina, the Mississippi
Legislature acted quickly to revive its decimated Gulf Coast gaming industry,
rapidly passing a measure that allowed operators to reconstruct casinos on dry
land 800 feet from Gulf waters. But Mississippi River gaming operators
expecting similar relief in the wake of damage and long-term closures due to
record flooding are likely to be disappointed, according to Larry Gregory,
executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission.
“Despite
the flooding, it’s unlikely the [Mississippi] Legislature will accept
land-based gaming [for river casinos],” Gregory told attendees at last week’s
Southern Gaming Summit held at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention
Center in Biloxi, Miss. He explained
that the Legislature is very conservative, and is unlikely to further alter the
intent of original enabling laws that mandated casinos be operated on water.
“It
took Katrina to convince legislators to bring the 800-foot rule [to the Gulf
Coast] and that barely passed,” Gregory added.
The
Mississippi River is currently suffering its worst flooding since the 1920s,
with water expected to crest 48 feet above normal early this week. The
Mississippi Gaming Commission has ordered the state’s river-based gaming
properties to close as the crest advances, and remain shuttered until the
flooding subsides and clean-up takes place, a process that can take anywhere
from three to six weeks, according to published reports.
Tunica,
Miss.-based properties have been closed since Monday, May 2. Casino barges and riverboats in Lula, Greenville,
Vicksburg, Natchez and elsewhere downriver were expected to suspend operations
by Friday, May 6, according to Gregory.
“This is the worst flooding we’ve had in a very, very, long time,” he
said. “It will have a significant economic impact on our state. In Tunica
alone, the state receives $10 million in gaming tax revenue per month, not to
mention taxes derived from hotels and other gaming related business."
“The
river casinos also employee 13,000 people, who will be out of work for… we just
don’t know how long at this point,” Gregory added.
The Southern Gaming Summit is an annual trade
show and conference that takes place each May in Biloxi and is presented by the
Mississippi Casino Operators Association and BNP Media, the parent company ofCasino Journal. This year’s event had
over 100 exhibitors and attracted 3,000 attendees. For more information on the
event, visitwww.sgsummit.com.
Land-based future for Miss. casinos unlikely despite flooding
May 10, 2011
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