For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/16/08
Gaming areas in the Southeast seem to be changing as often as the jackpots.
Additions to areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 include Margaritaville Casino & Resort, which is under construction on U.S. 90 in Biloxi on the site where Grand Casino and Casino Magic operated before the storm.
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The $700 million resort, owned by Harrah's Entertainment in partnership with Jimmy Buffett, is scheduled to be complete in 2010, with a 798-room hotel, 100,000-square-foot casino, full-service spa, pool and meeting space. Plans also call for a 250,000-square-foot shopping complex in partnership with Simon Property Group, which owns malls, including Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza in Atlanta.
The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino opened last summer, also on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where 2007 revenues topped $1.3 billion. The resort had been set to open the week Hurricane Katrina struck. It has more than 1,400 slots, 50 table games, a poker room, a full-service spa, 318 hotel rooms and suites, 1,400-person concert venue and five restaurants.
Other Biloxi properties — Island View Casino and IP Casino Hotel Spa — are planning to add hotel rooms, meeting space, restaurants and more, according to the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau.
In Tunica, Grand Casino Resort is being renamed Harrah's Casino Tunica this spring. It will coincide with $45 million in renovations to more than 1,100 hotel rooms and the addition of amenities such as a 560-seat buffet by celebrity chef Paula Deen.
At least six other new casino resorts are proposed, according to the convention and visitors bureau.
Among them: Bacaran Bay Casino Resort, the area's first all-suite hotel and first casino resort condominium hotel, developed by Torguson Gaming Group. The $600 million resort is expected to have 459 hotel suites, 663 condos and a gaming area with about 2,000 slots, 50 table games and a poker room, eight restaurants, a spa, Arnold Palmer signature 18-hole golf course, 600-seat blues club, 3,000-seat concert venue and shops.
Other areas also are getting updates.
A $100 million expansion at Ameristar Casino Vicksburg, expected to be complete by the end of June, will increase the size of its gaming facility and add a 1,000-space garage. Its 150-room hotel was renovated last year.
The biggest change that gaming expert Steve Bourie sees is the addition of Vegas-style slot machines at the Seminole Tribe of Florida's seven casinos.
The tribe fought to add the games after the Florida Legislature gave approval for dog tracks in Broward County to do so. And this year, Miami-Dade County voters reversed a 2005 decision and approved the addition of slots to their dog and horse tracks and jai-alai arenas.
About 16,000 machines will be installed in the casinos this year, with the first batch (more than 800) added in February at the tribe's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. Additional machines will be installed soon at the Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa, which last year had a $120 million expansion, with 1,100 gaming machines, new restaurants and more.
But waters may be choppy for some ship casinos, which Bourie said are struggling. SunCruz left the Port of Palm Beach last September, with company officials citing competition from Broward County racetrack-based casinos, slot arcades and the Seminole Tribe's Coconut Creek casino.
Bourie added that options in the Southeast continue to expand. Two dog tracks in Arkansas have added skill-based slot machines such as blackjack and poker.
Bourie, author of the "2008 American Casino Guide" (Casino Vacations, $16.95), said the rebound in gaming in some spots and amenities such as cheaper hotel rooms are making the Southeast the place to be.
"I have always been a big fan of the Gulf Coast," he said.
IN ARKANSAS
Pari-mutuels:
• Oaklawn Jockey Club, Hot Springs, slots and horse racing. 1-800-625-5296, www.oaklawn.com
• Southland Park Gaming & Racing, West Memphis, slots and horse racing. 1-800-467-6182, www.southlandgreyhound.com
IN FLORIDA
East Coast ship casinos:
• Horizon's Edge, Treasure Island. 1-800-582-5932, www.horizonsedge.com
• Horizon's Edge, Miami. 781-581-7733, www.horizonsedge.com
• Palm Beach Princess, Port of Palm Beach. 1-800-841-7447, www.pbcasino.com
• SeaEscape, Port Everglades. 1-877-732-3722, www.seaescape.com
• Sterling Casino Lines, Port Canaveral. 1-800-765-5711, www.sterlingcasinolines.com
• SunCruz Casinos, in Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Key Largo, Port Canaveral, 1-800-474-3423, www.suncruzcasino.com
Gulf Coast ship casinos:
• Big "M" Casino, Fort Myers Beach. 239-765-7529, www.bigmcasino.com
• SunCruz Casino, Madeira Beach. 1-800-474-3423, www.suncruzcasino.com
Pari-mutuels:
• Dania Jai-Alai, 954-920-1511, www.dania-jai-alai.com. Plans to add a casino with 1,500 slot machines this year.
• Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino, Hallandale Beach. 954-454-7000, www.gulfstreampark.com
• Mardi Gras Racetrack & Gaming Center, Hallandale Beach. 954-924-3200, www.playmardigras.com
• The Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park, Pompano Beach, 954-972-2000, www.pompanopark.com
Seminole Tribe casinos
Unless noted, all casinos can be reached at 1-866-222-7466, www.seminoletribe.com/enterprises/casinos.shtml.
• Seminole Casino Brighton, west of Lake Okeechobee. 863-467-9998, www.seminolecasinobrighton.com
• Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, 10 miles south of Boca Raton and 10 miles north of Fort Lauderdale. 954-977-6700.
• Seminole Casino Hollywood, 5 miles south of Fort Lauderdale. 1-866-222-7466.
• Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood. 1-800-937-0010, www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com
• Seminole Casino Immokalee, 40 miles northeast of Naples. 1-800-218-0007, www.theseminolecasino.com
• Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa. 1-866-502-7529, www.hardrockhotelcasinotampa.com
Miccosukee Tribe casinos:
• Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, 15 minutes west of Miami. 1-877-242-6464, www.miccosukee.com
IN GEORGIA
• Emerald Princess II Casino, sails from Brunswick's Gisco Point at the southern end of the Sidney Lanier Bridge. 1-800-842-0115, www.emeraldprincesscasino.com
IN LOUISIANA
Land-based casinos:
• Cypress Bayou Casino/Shorty's, owned by the Chitimacha Tribe, in Charenton, 45 miles south of Lafayette. 1-800-284-4386, www.cypressbayou.com
• Coushatta Casino Resort, owned by the Coushatta Tribe, in Kinder, 188 miles west of New Orleans. 1-800-584-7263, www.coushattacasinoresort.com
• DiamondJacks Casino & Resort, Bossier City. 1-866-552-9629, www.diamondjacks.com
• Harrah's New Orleans. 504-533-6000, www.harrahs.com
• Paragon Casino Resort, owned by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe, in Marksville, about 40 miles southeast of Alexandria. 1-800-946-1946, www.paragoncasinoresort.com
• Sam's Town Shreveport. 318-424-7777, www.samstownshreveport.com
Pari-mutuels:
• Delta Downs Racetrack Casino and Hotel, slots and horse racing, Vinton, 20 miles west of Lake Charles. 1-800-589-7441, www.deltadowns.com
• Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino, slots and horse racing, Opelousas, 45 miles west of Baton Rouge. 1-866-472-2466, www.evangelinedowns.com
• Harrah's Louisiana Downs, slot machines and horse racing, Bossier City. 318-742-5555, www.harrahs.com
Riverboat casinos:
• Belle of Baton Rouge Casino, dockside on the Mississippi River. 1-800-676-4847, www.belleofbatonrouge.com
• Boomtown Casino New Orleans, on the Harvey Canal in Harvey, a suburb of New Orleans. 1-800-366-7711, www.boomtownneworleans.com
• Boomtown Casino and Hotel, dockside on the Red River in Bossier City, across from Shreveport. 318-746-0711, www.boomtownbossier.com
• Hollywood Casino, moored on the Mississippi at Baton Rouge. 225-709-7777, www.hollywoodbr.com
• Eldorado Resort Casino, dockside on the Red River in Shreveport. 1-877-602-0711, www.eldoradoshreveport.com
• Horseshoe Bossier City, dockside on the Red River. 1-800-895-0711, www.harrah.com
• Isle of Capri Casino, dockside on Lake Charles in Westlake. 1-800-843-4753, www.isleofcapricasino.com/Lake_Charles
• L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort, Lake Charles. 1-866-580-7444, www.ldlcasino.com
• Treasure Chest Casino, dockside on Lake Pontchartrain in Kenner, a suburb of New Orleans. 1-800-298-0711, www.treasurechest.com.
IN MISSISSIPPI
Bay St. Louis casinos
• Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis. 1-866-758-2591, www.hollywoodcasinobsl.com
• Silver Slipper Casino. 1-866-775-4773, www.silverslipper-ms.com
Biloxi casinos:
• Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. 1-888-567-6667, www.beaurivage.com
• Boomtown Casino. 228-435-7000, www.boomtownbiloxi.com
• Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi. 228-374-7625, www.hardrockbiloxi.com
• Grand Biloxi. 1-800-946-2946, www.harrahs.com
• IP Casino Resort Spa. 1-888-946-2847, www.ipbiloxi.com
• Isle of Capri Casino Resort. 1-800-843-4753, www.isleofcapricasino.com
• Palace Casino Resort. 1-800-725-2239, www.palacecasinoresort.com
• Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel. 1-800-747-2839, www.treasurebay.com
Choctaw casinso:
• Pearl River Resort. The Silver Star Hotel and Casino, Golden Moon Hotel and Casino, Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, Geyser Falls Water Theme Park and Clearwater Key Beach make up this complex. 1-866-447-3275, www.pearlriverresort.com
Greenville casinos:
• Bayou Caddy's Jubilee Casino. 662-335-1111, www.casinocity.com/us/ms/greenville/bayou
• Harlow's Casino and Resort. 1-866-524-5825, www.harlowscasino.com
• Lighthouse Point Casino. 1-800-878-1777, www.lighthouse-casino.com
Gulfport casinos:
• Island View Casino Resort. 1-877-774-8439, www.islandviewcasino.com
Lula casinos:
• Isle of Capri Casino. 1-800-789-5825, www.isleofcapricasino.com
Natchez casinos:
• Isle of Capri Resort & Casino. 1-800-843-4753, www.isleofcapricasino.com
Tunica casinos:
• Bally's Tunica. 1-800-382-2559, www.ballystunica.com
• Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel. 1-800-766-5825, www.fitzgeraldstunica.com
• Gold Strike Casino Resort. 1-888-245-7829, www.goldstrikemississippi.com
• Grand Casino Resort Tunica (name slated to change to Harrah's Casino Tunica in May). 1-800-946-4946, www.harrahs.com
• Resorts Tunica Casino. 662-363-7777, www.resortstunica.com
• Hollywood Casino Tunica. 1-800-871-0711, www.hollywoodtunica.com
• Horseshoe Casino & Hotel. 1-800-303-7463, www.harrahs.com
• Sam's Town Tunica. 1-800-456-0711, www.samstowntunica.com
• Sheraton Casino & Hotel. 1-800-391-3777, www.harrahs.com
Vicksburg casinos:
• Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg. 1-866-667-3386, www.ameristarcasinos.com
• DiamondJack's Casino & Hotel. 1-877-711-0677, www.diamondjacks.com
• Horizon Casino Hotel. 601-636-3423, www.horizonvicksburg.com
• Rainbow Hotel Casino. 1-800-503-3777, www.rainbowcasino.com
IN NORTH CAROLINA
• Harrah's Cherokee Casino, on the reservation of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians in Cherokee. 828-497-7777, www.harrahs.com
IN SOUTH CAROLINA
• Southern Cruise (formerly Diamond Casino Cruises), sails from Little River waterfront. 1-877-250-5825, www.southernelegancecasino.com
• SunCruz Casino-Myrtle Beach, sails from Little River waterfront. 1-800-474-3423, www.suncruzcasino.com
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