Figures recently released by the Mississippi Gaming and Hospitality Association show the state’s 12 Gulf Coast casinos posted revenue of 0.5 million in January– million, or 15 percent higher, than .3 million posted in January 2015. The Coast casino market ended 2014 with a 1.4 percent increase and 2015 with a 6 percent increase.
Also, it’s the first time since 2008 that January revenue for the south Mississippi market topped $100 million.
Michael Bruffey, deputy director of the Mississippi Gaming and Hospitality Association, said, ” It’s a huge increase, and that’s in the face of visitors declining.” He attributed the numbers to the opening of the Scarlet Pearl casino in D’Iberville, which, Bruffey noted, helped the market grow rather than cannibalizing revenue from other casinos.
D’Iberville’s first casino, the Scarlet Pearl is the first built to the state’s new requirements of 300 or more hotel rooms plus an amenity to attract new visitors to the Gulf Coast. Scarlet Pearl included the Lava Links miniature golf course with an exploding volcano.
The report further indicated about 1 million fewer people visited South Mississippi in 2015 compared to 2014. Pre-Hurricane Katrina, 20.7 million people visited the region, falling to 14.6 million in 2015. Still, last year 817 new hotel rooms were added, 449 less than the pre-Katrina total. The opening of the Scarlet Pearl in December seems to have boosted visitor numbers somewhat, since the count was 3.7 million from October through December, up from 3.4 million during the same time period in 2014. In the pre-Katrina fourth quarter of 2004, 5.4 million people visited.
