Bally’s Casino in Robinsonville, Mississippi shut down for slightly more than 24 hours due to the threat of flooding on the Mississippi River. Spokeswoman Cheryl Duhon said the Mississippi Gaming Commission told casino management to close property, which occurred at 5 a.m., Sunday, January 3. It reopened at 9 a.m. Monday. Floodwaters did not reach the property and no other Tunica casinos were told to close. Deputy Commissioner Eddie Williams said, “Each has their set of circumstances related to floodwaters.”
Gaming Commission Executive Director Allen Godfrey said Bally’s usually faces flooding issues before Tunica County’s other eight casinos. He added the current high water probably will not cause any casinos in the northern Mississippi County to close, but it’s too soon to determine if casinos in Greenville and Vicksburg will be affected.
Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau President and Chief Executive Officer Webster Franklin noted the Mississippi River crested at close to 41 feet. “We can go up to 42 or 43 feet and it’s business as usual. Over 43, we have to make plans to divert water at Casino Strip drive and other places. We dodged a bullet.”
In April 2011, DiamondJacks and the Rainbow (now Lady Luck) Casinos in Tunica were forced to shut down for three weeks after the Mississippi River crested at 47 feet.
Ameristar Casino General Manager Gerard Hardy said, “We were able to make some significant changes and add some infrastructure during the 2011 flood,” including building a higher seawall. He added, “Our director of engineering has become an expert at mitigating floods. We will be ready for the 54-foot crest,” predicted for January 16.
Fitz Casino spokeswoman Sheila Stafford said the property has remained open although the bridge leading to it has flooded in the past. “If something does happen, we’ll have updates on our website and on Facebook. We’re just operating and watching the water,” she said.
