All Mississippi Coast casinos are closing because of coronavirus pandemic
The Mississippi Gaming Commission ordered all casinos in the state to close at midnight Monday.
The decision came just after MGM Resorts International announced the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi and Gold Strike Casino in Tunica would close starting Tuesday.
The Gaming Commission said the casinos will close until further notice and that will be evaluated on a daily basis.
Only essential personnel can be present in the casinos, the Gaming Commission said.
The Beau Rivage said said it would indefinitely suspend casino and hotel operations.
“We will work to mitigate the impact this will have on our employees, partners and communities,” MGM Chief Operating Officer and President Bill Hornbuckle said in a press release. “We will continue monitoring the situation and announce plans for reopening when appropriate.”
The Gaming Commission has the authority to order the casinos closed, but the individual operators can choose to keep the hotel and other amenities open.
IP Casino Biloxi said in a press release, “This closure will impact all public operations, including the casino, hotel, restaurants, spa, and meeting and entertainment venues.”
Mississippi joins casinos in Nevada and other states that have closed casinos.
The shutdown affects most of the 10,400 employees at Coast casinos and 16,000 statewide.
The Coast has 12 casinos in Harrison and Hancock counties.
Biloxi casinos
- Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
- Hard Rock Hotel Casino
- Golden Nugget Casino
- IP Casino
- Palace Casino
- Boomtown Casino
- Harrah’s Gulf Coast
- Treasure Bay Casino
D’Iberville Casinos
- Scarlet Pearl
Gulfport Casinos
- Island View Casino Resort
Bay St. Louis casinos
- Hollywood Casino
- Silver Slipper Casino
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 4:03 PM.
