Fans of the rock band KISS may soon be able to rock and roll all nite in a new KISS-themed casino in Mississippi. The group has reportedly started negotiating with a development company to revive the former Margaritaville Casino Biloxi and turn it into a resort with a rock-and-roll flare, with the famous band taking center stage. Crazy, crazy nights could be on the way.
The RAM Group, a gaming and hospitality company out of Arizona, purchased the property about a year ago after it had sat closed for around five years. The operator of the casino and the landlord of the 68,000-square-foot property had a falling out in 2014, leading to the venue being shut down and its hotel never completed. After securing the property, RAM said, last November, that it had signed a letter of intent with KISS to bring the property back to life.
According to the Sun Herald, those plans are apparently now coming to fruition, and the Rock & Brews restaurant chain, of which KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are a part, will be launching the Rock & Brews Casino. The venue is expected to have a 300-room waterfront hotel, a casino spanning 40,000 square feet (or possibly more) and other amenities, such as a concert venue, a swimming pool and an event space.
The funding for the development is apparently in place, and it looks like the project is going to go all the way. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is going to be held on March 15, at a time that still has to be determined, and could see one or more of the KISS members on hand to celebrate the great expectations. Paul Stanley has reportedly been confirmed as a participant in the ceremony, and the event is timed in coordination with a local concert the group is giving later that night.
RAM’s Tom Moore explains that site approval has already been given and the developers are meeting with the Gaming Commission in order to secure permission to move forward with the construction. Given that the Margaritaville venture died much too soon but was approved for a casino, there shouldn’t be any issues with securing the necessary authorization to complete the construction and offer all the expected amenities.
KISS has always had the magic touch when it comes to promoting the group and capitalizing on its fame to generate additional income, ensuring the group’s legend will live on for as long as music exists. For the rock group, thanks to the business sense of its members, it’s what makes the world go ‘round.
