Buffets. Crab Legs. Development. Here are the biggest changes at Coast casinos in 2021.
It’s the best revenue year ever for the 12 Mississippi Coast casinos, and the year the casino operators used their clout to protect against COVID-19, preserve regional tourism and adapt to shortages of workers and crab legs.
“We’ve had a great year. Just look at the revenues,” said Larry Gregory, executive director of the Mississippi Hospitality and Gaming Association.
Casino revenue through November on the Coast hit $1.47 billion — already topping the $1.08 billion for all of 2020.
“Just look at the visitor counts,” Gregory said. When new cases of COVID-19 dropped dramatically in June, 1.2 million people poured into the Coast casinos that month compared to 947,000 in June 2020.
“I think they just had faith in our business that they would be safe,” he said.
Year two of the covonavirus for the casinos was “adjusting on the fly to the realities of COVID,” said Keith Crosby, general manager of Palace Casino Biloxi.
The plastic dividers came down from between the slot machines, but are stored to be brought back out if necessary. Different degrees of application are needed, he said. They asked employees behind the glass, “Do you feel comfortable taking it down?” If they said no, Crosby said, it stayed in place.
Showing their might
One of the biggest changes this year was the casino managers who usually avoid controversy stepped into the fray.
Scarlet Pearl Casino was the first casino in the United States to require all employees become vaccinated against COVID and reached 100% vaccination rate on Aug. 27. The private owner of Scarlet Pearl invested more than $500,000, including a $300 cash incentive to every employee and supervisor to get vaccinated.
“We will never apologize for caring and doing our part to keep people safe and healthy,“ said LuAnn Pappas, chief executive officer of Scarlet Pearl.
Beau Rivage used its series of highly-visible billboards along Interstate 10 to encourage people to get the vaccine, and other casinos provided money and perks as incentives to their employees to get their shots.
In October, the Coast casino managers had enough of the battle that threatened to tear apart Coastal Mississippi tourism promotion agency for the three counties.
“We cannot and will not remain silent in the face of threats to destroy the regional efforts and partnerships we’ve worked diligently to develop in recent years,” the managers said in a notice from Mississippi Gaming and Hospitality Association.
The Coast casinos employ 10,000 workers and generate $400 million annually in wages and benefits, the letter said..
The casino operators did more than sign the letter. Travis Lunn, chief operating officer at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, and Jonathan Jones, general manager at Harrah’s Gulf Coast, led the discussions with the supervisors of the three Coast counties and tourism commissioners that ultimately got the organization back on track.
Getting crabby with shortages
Every casino on the Coast had a buffet before the coronavirus. About half eliminated their buffets when COVID hit and at least two have done so permanently.
Supply chain issues challenged the Coast casinos early in 2021, with shortages in crab legs one of the most disconcerting to customers.
Some of the casinos stopped offering crab legs after the price soared. Others continued to charge an additional fee so customers who want to pay the price can indulge in a plate or bucket full of the crab.
Treasure Bay Casino in Biloxi went all in — expanding the buffet to offer crab legs at both lunch and dinner. Lunch is $12.49 and dinner is $19.99 without crab. With crab the cost rises to $42.99 for lunch or dinner, with a discount available when presenting a Treasure Bay players club card.
Oh, what a year
Here are some of the other changes at Coast casinos this year:
▪ Entertainment returned to some casinos. Gary Allan was the first performer on the stage at Beau Rivage and Coast favorites Melissa Etheridge and The Temptations both played at IP Casino in August.
▪ Scarlet Pearl opened a $4 million VIP Lounge in June, complete with personalized RFID cards that open the door and a gravity-defying bar that curves into the ceiling.
▪ Island View and Treasure Bay casinos allow only those age 21 and older on premises.
▪ Mobile sports betting was legalized in Louisiana in time for the football season, cutting into the profits of South Mississippi casinos. Some casino companies and Legislators asked if Mississippi is getting left behind by not having mobile betting.
▪ Beau Rivage launched the first sports betting app on the Coast so customers could place a sports bet on the property but without having to get in line at the window.
▪ Staffing issues saw casino wages rise this year. The casinos adjusted to not being able to hire staff — and the lingering safety concerns — by shedding some features like valet service that seemed essential before this year, Crosby said.
▪ Mississippi allowed the casino industry to set its own mask policy and other safety procedures to keep customers and staff safe. The casinos kept mask orders in place during the summer spike in COVID-19 after the state mandate ended. This a good example of the working partnership of the Gaming Commission and its staff has with the casino operators, “And I think it unique to the industry,” Crosby said.
This story was originally published December 23, 2021 at 10:10 AM.
