Casinos in Biloxi
Casinos in Biloxi were central in making Biloxi one of the top gambling holiday destinations in the south of the United States at the turn of the 21st Century.
Biloxi is located in the state if Mississippi on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and the city’s beachfront overlooks the Mississippi Sound.
Gambling was only legalised in Mississippi in the 1990s, but casinos in Biloxi wasted little time. Soon, Biloxi was a thriving tourist destination, particularly for punters from the southern states looking for anew gambling holiday experience.
The casinos in Biloxi attracted a huge amount of money from gamblers descending on the city; casinos in Biloxi quickly became a multi-million dollar drawcard.
Hurricane Katrina
Many of the casinos in Biloxi were destroyed in August 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, which wreaked havoc on the USA’s southeastern Mississippi Gulf Coast region.
It was estimated at the time that almost 90% of the buildings on Biloxi’s coast were destroyed. There were also a number of “floating casinos” in Biloxi; barges moored offshore that were thrown ashore by the hurricane, adding to the overall damage.
Casinos in Biloxi
Since Hurricane Katrina, 8 casinos in Biloxi have reopened. These hotel and casino resorts are:
- Beau Rivage Resort and Casino
- Boomtown Casino
- Grand Biloxi Casino Hotel Spa (previously Grand Casino Biloxi)
- Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
- IP Hotel and Casino (previously Imperial Palace)
- Isle of Capri Casino Resort
- Palace Casino Resort
- Treasure Bay Casino
Casinos in Biloxi: The Future
There are a number of hotel and casinos in Biloxi either being planned or already under construction:
- Bacaran Bay Resort is being built between IP Hotel and Casino and Beau Rivage on Caillavet Street.
- Harrahs’ Margaritaville Casino and Resort will be built on the site of the old Grand Casino Biloxi and Casino Magic resorts.
- Bayview Casino Resort is being built on Biloxi’s Back Bay.
Other casinos are planned at the 30-floor Vue Crescent Resort, The Ocean Club, Tivoli Resort and Long Beach.
While the casinos in Biloxi were mostly floating barges before Hurricane Katrina, they are being rebuilt as hotel and casino resorts.
A Mississippi government decision following Hurricane Katrina allowed land-based casinos for the first time, helping to cement Biloxi’s status as a major gambling holiday destination for years to come.