Poker News

Donna Blevins

[Editor’s Note: This article was written before Hurricane Katrina]

When Mississippi approved casino gaming in mid 1990, they approved dockside gambling. That is, other than Indian Reservation, all gaming must take place on boats that are actually in the water. Effectively, the casinos are on huge barges that move with the rise and fall of the tides in the Gulf of Mexico, bays and the Mississippi River.

According to the executive director of the state’s Gaming Commission, with 29 state regulated casinos, Mississippi is third in the nation in gross casino revenue, behind Nevada and New Jersey. (The 30th casino is owned by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.) From personal observations over the last ten years, it’s safe to say that Mississippi’s neighborhoods have dramatically benefited from the gaming taxes flowing into their infrastructure.

The most dramatic example is Tunica County. Located in the Northwestern corner just south of Memphis, Tunica County was the poorest county in the entire country prior to the opening of Splash, the first Mississippi casino in 1992. The county revenues in 1992 were only $3.5 million. Five years later during the fiscal year October 1997-1998, the county revenues topped $35.5 million.

In 1992, Tunica County had only 16 hotel rooms. In 1999, there were 6,000 rooms, mostly casino hotel rooms. Today, Tunica County benefits are evidenced by its superior roads, schools, law enforcement, and a lower than average unemployment rate. When Splash first opened in Tunica County, therewas so much pent up consumer demand, that eager gamers were willing to pay $10 for entrance to the casino. On top of that and despite the bitter winter weather and blistering summer heat, patrons patiently waited four and five hours in an onshore tent to preserve their place in line.

Mississippi has certainly become a gaming destination. In 1998, 31% of the casino patrons were from Mississippi. The most recent figures from the second quarter of 2005 show 22% of the casino patrons are local, making 78% of the gamblers from other states. That is further confirmed by the 84% occupancy enjoyed by the casino hotels.

On August 12th, the Mississippi Gaming Commission said they have two Coast casinos waiting to open in Biloxi. The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, is scheduled to open the last of August - first of September. The Silver Slipper Gambling Hall and Saloon, originally scheduled to open in November, does not have a target date. The only Indian owned casino in the state . . . Pearl River Resort, previously known as Silver Star, Choctaw: (15 poker tables, 100 table games) Near Philadelphia, Mississippi, and owned by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Pearl River Resort has something everyone will enjoy.

This resort has two hotel/casinos,the Silver Star and Golden Moon, and includes more than 1,000 guest rooms, 4,700 slot machines, 14 different dining options, plus two world-class golf courses. The Poker Manager, Jay Eubanks, feels the best feature of his room is his people. They regularly spread $3-6 Texas Hold’em and $1-5 Stud. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Omaha fans come from all over for one of my favorites, Omaha hi with a $10-20-30 limit structure. On Sunday, expect to see $3-6 Omaha hi-lo. Their No-Limit has a $2 and $5 blind with buy-ins from $100 to $300. Check out www.PearlRiverResort.com.

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