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Mississippi Gaming Industry Drives Significant Tourism Growth

According to the study, over 35 percent of overnight visitors were attracted to Mississippi for the casino gaming opportunities. While this is significant, large percentages of these visitors also spent money on dining, shopping, other entertainment, and sightseeing activities. This diverse spending pattern shows that Mississippi's casinos have extensive economic impacts throughout the economy.

The study found that overnight leisure trips increased over 64 percent and day trips increased over 86 percent between 1992 and 1998. The state hosted 10 million overnight visitors in 1998. These visitors stayed an average of 3.4 days and spent $87 each day. The direct economic impact of these overnight leisure visitors totaled $2.9 billion. This considerable figure does not include day-trippers and business travelers.

The increase in tourism activity in Mississippi has fueled a boom in hotel construction. Since 1992, the number of hotel rooms in the state has more than doubled. Casino hotels provided more than half of the new rooms over this period. Despite this growth, occupancy rates at the casino hotels continue to run above 80 percent statewide.

Casino tourism provides tremendous economic benefits to the state. Mississippi casinos have grown to employ almost 40,000 with payrolls approaching $1 billion. Direct tax payments by the casinos to state and local government now total over $310 million annually.

Although its figures did not include the Silver Star Resort, the report still found that gaming employment represented over 37 percent of total tourism and recreation employment in Mississippi.

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