Mississippi’s newest casino has finally been approved after the developers made it large enough to be accepted. The Mississippi Gaming Commission voted 3-0 to allow developers Rotate Black MS to construct the $112 million venue in Gulfport. Dial Cooper, casino executive, stated: “We’ve waited a long time, we’ve worked hard, we’re psyched up”. The venue had been rejected twice as the state had told them the original plans weren’t “big” or “interesting” enough to bring new gamblers to the state. Gaming Commission chairman Jerry St. Pe added: “We have an obligation to make sure that capacity is just not filled, but filled in a manner that meets the best interest of the state.”
Louisiana’s casino revenues dropped in July as the amount statewide casinos took fell 12 percent compared with the previous year. State-licensed casinos took a total of $197.6 million from customers across the mix of riverboats, racinos and land-based venues that are in the state. The only land-based casino, Harrah’s New Orleans, had a win that totalled $23.9 million – down 13 percent compared with the previous year. The figures don’t include Indian reservation casinos.
North Carolina’s Cherokee casino has started to offer live table games two months after it obtained the relevant licence. The 15-year-old Jackson County Casino dealt blackjack at 12 tables on Wednesday to VIPs and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Chief Michel Hicks is hopeful the expansion will bring more visitors to the Harrah’s managed casino. To cope with the extra demand Harrah’s has hired 500 new dealers and they can earn around $60k in wages and tips per year.
