August 29, 2006

A Year After Katrina, the Gulf Coast Casinos are Bouncing Back

Its been a year since Katrina ravaged the gulf coast. Sadly one of the many losses to the area was the Mississippi coast casinos, essentially large barges upon which casinos stood, because they were essentially forbidden to build on land itself.

Now a new bill has been passed that allows casinos to build on land, and the investments coming in are rehabilitating the area even faster than many had expected. Jobs for casino employees are rapant, and higher wages and benefits are being offered to try to retain folks in the booming markets.

Yes, from the darkness of the storm, it appears Biloxi, and the other Mississippi Casio scenes are coming back with a vengence. Way to go Mississippi, we're very glad to see you're bouncing back, and we're looking forward to checking out your new and more luxurious casinos!

Boomtown Casino Marketing Director Chett Harrison says business has doubled in part because, with fewer casinos open, they're getting a bigger share of the strong gambling market.
Gaming revenues on the Gulf Coast jumped 15 percent from June to July, according to the Mississippi Gaming Commission. And for several months now, the handful of casinos reopened in Biloxi have been pulling in 75 percent to 80 percent of the revenue that a dozen coastal casinos made before Katrina.

Read it all, and listen to the article at NPR.org