Don’t bet against the Gulf Coast

Thursday, 15 May, 2006 0

The Gulf Coast, the US’s third largest casino market, is making a quick comeback after the August hurricanes that destroyed a dozen floating casinos.

Three of the re-opened casinos are reporting betting of $20 million a month on average, or almost double the pre-hurricane rate.

Seven more casinos are also scheduled to reopen in the next six months.

Said Larry Gregory, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission:

“They’re coming back faster than I’d ever thought.”

Some estimates are that wagered amounts next year could be as high as $1.6 billion, a 20% increase from pre-Katrina days.

At least one area that has boasted casino revenues: hundreds of outside workers brought in help rebuild.

At least five other casinos plan to expand in Biloxi including Treasure Bay, Grand Casino, Beau Rivage, Boomtown and IP Hotel & Casino.

As a casino market, the Gulf Coast trails only Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Report by David Wilkening



 

profileimage

David



Most Read

Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know

Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham

Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago

Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research

Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact

Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference

Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role

Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal

Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination

Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness

Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future

Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
TRAINING & COMPETITION
Skip to toolbar
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...