At the next Mississippi Gaming Commission meeting on February 16 in D’Iberville, the public will have a chance to provide comment on site requests for two proposed casinos in Biloxi and Diamondhead that previously were denied. Allen Godfrey, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, said, “It gives both sides the opportunity to present their information why they think it’s a legal site.” Neither of the properties has changed since site approval was denied.
In 2008, the gaming commission ruled against a request by RW Development, owned b Ray Wooldridge, for approval of a casino at Veteran’s Avenue and U.S. 90 in Biloxi. Commissioners unanimously stated the developer did not have control of the property to the water’s edge, as required by state regulations. In 2014, the commission denied site approval for Jacobs Entertainment’s proposed casino west of Yacht Club Road in Diamondhead, stating the property did not fall within the 800-foot rule allowing casinos to move ashore after Hurricane Katrina.
Since those rulings, gaming commissioners Jerry St. Pé, John Hairston and Nolen Canon have been replaced. New commissioners are Chairman Al Hopkins and Jerry Griffith Sr., both of Gulfport, and Tom Gresham, of the Delta area.
Also in Mississippi, Gulfport Gaming Development asked the city to wait until March to approve the use of five lots at Gulfport harbor for a casino.
Commission on Thursday but has been removed from the agenda. The firm plans to build a $140 million casino resort on 10-acre site. The Mississippi Gaming Commission already has approved the site for a casino, said Gulfport Director of Urban Development Greg Pietrangelo.
