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Gambling Transformed Biloxi

BILOXI, Mississippi – As reported by the Galveston County Daily News: "This coastal resort community has transformed itself over the last decade by doing what many in Galveston believe is unthinkable: by legalizing gambling.

"I spent three days in Biloxi last week. I had not been there for 20 years or so, but decades ago, it was a place I went regularly as a Mississippi newspaper publisher.

"The town in those days was sleepy and in decline.

"…To make a long story short, the last time I saw Biloxi, it didn't look good at all.

"But that has changed, and it has changed with little disruption to the 'old' Biloxi, including the stately antebellum mansions that line the beaches within sight of 14 new casinos.

"…On Wednesday, my friends and I wandered through the casino and hotel. It's not to my tastes — too loud and garish — but I don't like Las Vegas much, either. Millions of other people do like these places, though, and Beau Rivage clearly was doing huge business.

"…On Thursday morning, I got up early and went for a six-mile run along Biloxi's beachfront. I didn't see a single homeless person. I didn't see any blighted neighborhoods (though I'm sure some exist, as they always have). The point is the casinos simply had not affected the neighborhoods around them. No abandoned homes, no boarded-up businesses.

"…Some in Galveston argue that our city should never consider gambling as an economic development option. They argue that the only legitimate comparison for our city is Atlantic City, N.J., where a combination of geography, bad law, bad management and corruption has helped make Atlantic City less livable…"

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