In response to Hurricane Sally, the Mississippi Gaming Commission ordered all 12 Coast casinos to close at 4 p.m. Monday, September 14. Sally had been forecast to make landfall on Wednesday, causing life-threatening storm surge and 8 inches to 16 inches of rain, even up to 24 inches in some locations.
The commission allowed casino hotels to remain open to accommodate out-of-town customers and emergency personnel.
As it turned out, however, Sally landed east of Mississippi near Gulf Shores, Alabama. So the commission allowed the casinos to start reopening at 1 p.m. Wednesday, September 16. The Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi was the first to reopen, at 10 a.m. Thursday, September 17.
Still, the Mississippi Coast didn’t escape entirely. Storm surge along the caused the parking garage at Palace Casino in Biloxi to flood, as it usually does during a tropical storm. Also, the road leading to the Silver Slipper Casino was closed due to high water.
The casinos had been closed for several months due to Covid-19 and had reopened in May.
