Three casinos set dates for reopening on Miss. Gulf Coast
Three of Mississippis battered Gulf Coast casinos are expected to reopen by the end of the year.
The Imperial Palace, the Isle of Capri and the Palace Casino have all announced reopening dates in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The powerful storm, which struck Aug. 29, damaged or destroyed most of the 12 coast casinos and a 13th that was about to open.
The Imperial Palace reopens on Dec. 20. The reopening will be followed by the Isle of Capri on Dec. 26 and the Palace Casinos on Dec. 30.
The Isle of Capri is putting its casino inside its new hotel tower, while the Palaces initial operation will be smaller than it was before Hurricane Katrina.
Owen Nitz, a member of the family trust that owns the Imperial Palace, recently told the Mississippi Gaming Commission the casino and hotel amenities will be completely revamped.
"Its going to be a mindblower," Nitz said.
The Imperial Palace Casino will increase its slot machines from 1,400 to 1,900, its table games from 36 to 52 and will add a 16-table poker room. It will also have a new 470-seat buffet, steak and seafood restaurant, and 1,088 renovated guest rooms.
The Isle of Capri will have 960 slot machines and 27 table games. It will also add a poker room. Within 30 days of the casinos reopening, the Isle will also unveil its new 8,000-square-foot spa.
"Were very bullish on Biloxi," Bill Kilduff, the Isles general manager told the Biloxi City Council this week.
He said plans are underway for "a great new facility of the magnitude the Isle of Capri has not seen before."
Keith Crosby, the general manger of the Palace Casino, said he had thought about bringing in a temporary riverboat, but Robert Low, the casinos owner, told him to start making plans to renovate and expand.
The number of slot machines at the Palace Casino will initially decrease from 1,170 to 820. The 14 table games will be significantly less than the 36 that were in the gambling barge. The number of employees will be about 400 instead of the 975 who worked the Palace before Katrina.
2005-11-27
