Slowly, Normalcy Is Returning to BiloxiThree Casinos Will Reopen by the End of Next Week |
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It's been four months since Hurricane Katrina changed the definition of "normal" for all the people who live and work in Biloxi, Mississippi. But by the end of next week, Biloxi will have inched a little closer to how things were before the storm when the bright lights and metallic ring of slot machines return to three casinos.
"People are ready to get back to work. People want to get something normal back in their lives," says Lisa Quirch, the advertising and public relations manager for Palace Casino Resort.
Palace Casino joins the Imperial Palace Biloxi and the Isle of Capri in reopening this week. Imperial Palace, which will remain a floating casino, opened its doors Dec. 22. Isle of Capri will reopen noon the day after Christmas, and Palace Casino, Friday, Dec. 30.
Mississippi is the home to 31 casinos, including the dozen that were severely damaged by the hurricane. Before the storm, about half a million dollars daily in tax revenue was generated by the casino industry. Approximately $190,000 a day was lost with the closing of the Gulf Coast casinos. The reopenings should give the state approximately an additional $45,000 a day in tax revenue.
The reopenings will also put more than 1,000 employees back to work, which not only will stimulate the economy, but the spirits as well.
Bobby Carter, the executive host at Isle of Capri, has spent the last several months living in a house with two other families while he works to rebuild his casino and his own house. He returned to work before the carpet was even dry and he can't wait until the doors are thrown open at the Capri.
While we were talking to Carter, the background was filled with the chatter of construction workers and casino employees rushing to get the casino back into shape. Carter's voice was stressed, but it sounded happy, and he says all his coworkers feel the same way he does.
"We're ecstatic. Everyone is working together to open the doors, and people are working in different departments to get this thing open," Carter says. "This is by far the most import thing on our minds right now, to get back to work. Even though the coast is devastated, we look forward to getting back to work and getting back to a form of normalcy."
Before the storm, Mississippi had a law that required its casinos to float. State lawmakers changed the law in October to allow the Gulf Coast casinos to rebuild inland. Most of the casinos were destroyed because they were forced to sit on the water. Imperial Palace was one of the only casino barges to survive the storm because it is located on the "back bay" and not the Gulf of Mexico.
The other casinos weren't so lucky.
Like the Palace Casino, the Isle of Capri's gaming barge was destroyed in the storm and the casino had to be relocated to the land-based hotel. This required a bit of creative thinking for the Isle of Capri team.
The hotel itself suffered a great amount of damage. The storm surge flooded nearly three stories of the hotel and the top floors of the hotel had most of its windows blown out.
The casino is now located in the hotel's former ballroom. The sales office was converted to a poker room with nine tables. The casino will open with 27 table games and 1,200 slots. The hotel has 525 rooms available. It has more rooms, but many of them are being occupied by construction workers and FEMA representatives. About 900 employees will be back on the payroll, which is down from the 1,200 employed prestorm.
"We're looking forward to Monday," Carter says.
He says the phone has been ringing off the hook with regulars from many of the Southern states looking to make a reservation. In fact, the casino is completely booked for New Year's Eve.
The Palace Casino will open with 14 table games, 837 slot machines, and 236 rooms, which is the same number of rooms it offered before the storm. About 475 employees will return to work, which is down from the approximately 800 it employed prestorm.
An Imperial Palace Biloxi representative couldn't be reached for comment.
Quirch is looking forward to next Friday, when the Palace Casino reopens, particularly to eat at the casino's massive buffet. Finding a place to eat out - or do much else - since Katrina has been a challenge. It's one of those things that people don't think about whenever time moves along smoothly. Although Quirch is speaking for herself, the people of these towns that suffered so horribly the past few months probably feel the same way.
"It will be good to have some great places to eat again," she says.
by Bob Pajich
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