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Casino Funded Mississippi River Park Opens

TUNICA, Mississippi – As reported by the Associated Press:" A $26 million museum and ecological park has opened on the banks of the Mississippi River, the latest in a line entertainment developments largely paid for with casino tax money that Tunica County officials hope will lure a wider range of visitors.

"The Tunica RiverPark, which opened its doors Nov. 19, features a 37,000-square-foot museum with artifacts that date to the days of the explorer Hernando DeSoto, aquariums swimming with river life and interactive exhibits where visitors can pilot their own riverboats.

"…The park is the most recent in a line of projects built by a county now flush with revenue from its nine casinos and the roughly 12 million people - many from Memphis, Tenn., a short drive to the north - that the gambling halls bring in each year. The strategy is this: now that they have the gamblers, county officials want to diversify and attract families to the area, too.

"…Jon Lucas, president of Park Place Entertainment's Tunica group, which owns the Grand, Sheraton and Bally's casinos, compares Tunica today to another gambling destination 20 years ago.

"…Last year, the first fruits of the building spree resulted in a livestock and exposition center and the Tunica Museum…"

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