Casino to Re-Open on Katrina Anniversary
Mississippi’s casino and gaming industry is rebuilding after the
disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and one of the area’s many casinos to be
shut down by the storm, the Beau Rivage, is slated to re-open on August
29th, 2006, according to MGM Mirage, the parent company of the casino.
The date of the re-opening will mark the one year anniversary of the
hurricane hitting the Mississippi shoreline and causing millions of
dollars worth of damage, loss of life, and destruction of personal
property. The 72,000 square foot casino portion of the Beau Rivage was
located on a barge, as required by Mississippi gaming regulations, and
suffered extensive damage when the heavy winds and thirty foot surges of
water hit the resort.
The return of the Beau Rivage will be good news for the casino’s
estimated 1,000 employees, and also for the Gulf Coast area poker
players. The remodeled Beau Rivera will include a poker room, with a
rumored opening of 40 tables.
The Beau Rivage was built be Steve Wynn, and opened in March of 1999 at
a cost of $680 million. The casino originally included a very nice poker
room, but it was shut down by management in favor of more slot machines
just months after opening. The inclusion of a new poker room is yet
another sign that poker has become big business in a very short amount
of time.
Poker’s increased popularity and its newfound exposure may not be the
sole reason that the Beaux Rivera decided to include a room in their new
facilities, however. Bobby Baldwin, Mirage Resort chief executive, is a
former professional poker player. He won the World Series of Poker Main
Event in 1978, and the famous “Bobby’s Room”, the glassed in ultra high
limit table at the Bellagio poker room. Is named after Baldwin.
Three other casinos re-opened in Biloxi in December. The Redneck
Riviera’s poker scene is on a slow comeback. With nine tables at the
Isle of Capri and sixteen at the IP. Two other casinos have openings
slated for later this year.
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