Construction of new pier a big step forward for proposed 13th casino in South MS
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- RW Development receives $1M permit to demolish pier and build new public pier.
- Pier construction must satisfy Gaming Commission condition tied to site approval.
- Casino site approval lapses end of 2026 unless RW Development secures financing.
Developer Ray Wooldridge has worked for 15 years and spent millions of dollars to get approval to build a casino on Veterans Avenue in Biloxi. Now, he’s one big step closer.
The Biloxi Community Development Department has issued a $1 million construction permit to demolish what remains of the pier at Veterans Avenue and build a new one.
The pier was destroyed 20 years ago during Hurricane Katrina. Building a pier for public use is a condition imposed by the Mississippi Gaming Commission for Wooldridge and RW Development to get and keep site approval at Veterans Avenue, north and south of U.S. 90.
The demolition work is scheduled to begin this week, said John Boothby, owner of Apple Construction, based in Gulfport. RW Development hired his company to do the work, he said. It includes removing the pilings from the old pier and building a new pier and deck.
The construction will take about six months, Boothby said.
The Gaming Commission also gave RW Development a tight deadline to make progress toward construction of the casino. Site approval expires in three years, or around the end of 2026, unless RW Development can get financing and construction plans submitted.
With just over a year remaining on the commission’s ruling, “The next step for RW Development in our process would be to request approval to proceed with development of the casino property,” said Jay McDaniel, executive director of Mississippi Gaming Commission. “There is currently no application pending for that request,” he said.
Pier timeline
RW Development won site approval in December 2023, on its fourth try before the Gaming Commission.
Original plans for a $3 million pier with dining and entertainment over the water were scaled back to a $1 million fishing and walking pier before the permit was submitted.
In August 2024, Terry Moran and Associates filed a joint application on behalf of RW Development for the pier construction to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and Department of Environmental Quality.
After months of review, the agencies approved construction of a 353-foot long- by-12-foot wide handicap accessible pier with a pavilion. The pier will have lighting for nighttime use and a perpendicular finger pier at the end for fishing.
Challenges remain
RW Development faced and won legal challenges from the Mississippi Secretary of State and Treasure Bay Casino, which is about half a mile from RW Development’s casino site.
Treasure Bay appealed the December 2023 decision by the Mississippi Gaming Commission to approve the property north and south of U.S. 90 as a legal casino site.
Judge Larry Bourgeois denied that appeal, ruling on Aug. 27 that the gaming commission followed the regulations and the pier RW Development proposes building as part of the casino meets the requirement as an “essential” part of the entire project.
While work begins on the pier, Treasure Bay, Island View Casino Resort in Gulfport and the Mississippi Gaming and Hospitality Association are appealing Bourgeois’ decision to the Supreme Court.
Sun Herald reporter Anita Lee contributed to this article.
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
