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Mississippi Senator Profits from Casino Deals

BILOXI, Mississippi – As reported by the Biloxi Sun-Sentinel: "State Sen. Tommy Gollott, a lead author of the law that legalized dockside gambling, has made lots of money in land deals with casinos.

"If the Bacaran Bay Casino project goes forward, he will make more. Bacaran Bay would be the fourth casino to pay rent to Gollott and his brothers, Tyrone and Gary. The casino is proposed to go on land they inherited from their parents between Keegan Bayou and Caillavet Street, which the city of Biloxi is spending millions of dollars to upgrade.

"The urban renewal was intended to bring retail shops to the blighted street. But the Gollotts and other property owners succeeded in getting the city to rezone part of the street for casinos. They also succeeded in having the Mississippi Gaming Commission declare the location a legal gambling site, and having the Department of Marine Resources refer to the bayou as an inlet of the Biloxi Bay - the geographic designation for where casinos may locate.

"Critics say the proposed casino has cleared hurdles because of its connection to Gollott.

"…Gollott said he has done nothing to put any pressure on state regulators and did not even attend DMR meetings when the project was discussed.

"…Gollott began leasing land to casinos when he signed an agreement with Casino Magic Biloxi in 1992, two years after passage of the dockside gambling law. He, his brothers and four other partners bought the property in December 1987 - the same month the Europa Star began offering gambling cruises from Biloxi to the Gulf of Mexico…"

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