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Mississippi Gaming Industry Hit Hard by Ivan

BILOXI, Mississippi – As reported by the Associated Press: "It could be weeks before Hurricane Ivan's stomach punch to Mississippi's economy is known, but many speculate the state took a heavy financial blow when it was forced to close casinos, hotels and other industries along the Gulf Coast.

"'The government has lost revenue, but more important, tens of thousands of people that work on the coast lost income. The private sector has taken an enormous hit,' Gov. Haley Barbour said last week.

"…The coast casinos, located along the glistening sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, closed at noon Tuesday and reopened at 7 a.m. Friday. The shutdown cost the state and local governments $386,000 per day in tax revenue.

"'We were glad that our staff was able to have the casinos up and running 20 hours after MEMA lifted the evacuation order,' said Leigh Ann Wilkins, spokeswoman for the state Gaming Commission.

"Kathy Waterbury of the state Tax Commission said the complete revenue impact of the closings won't be known until returns are filed at the end of the month.

"As for the casinos, it could be days before business gets back to usual, said Bruce Nourse, director of public affairs for the Beau Rivage casino resort in Biloxi.

"…Nourse said the casino's main concern was the damaged Interstate 10 bridge in Florida. A portion of the bridge, the major east-west highway through the Panhandle, was knocked down by the storm and left impassable…"

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