Who owns grand casino biloxi

Others changed owners. Almost all upgraded their gaming floors, hotel rooms and other attractions as they rebuilt. Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. Crucial infrastructure has been repaired. Modern bridges were built to reconnect the region to the mainland east and west of the casino cities. Other businesses have also returned to the Biloxi and Gulfport commercial areas, and Gulf Coast tourism in general has been re-energized.

Yet there is a dark cloud around the silver lining: Where Gulf Coast casinos once employed 17, people, the 11 survivors had just 9, workers as of June 30, according to the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

While other aspects of their business may boom, few think the market can support more than the combined , square-feet of casino space. The opportunity is there to grow the tourism market. Gaming industry leaders cite several ways the Gulf Coast could boost both visitation and customer spending and compete with emerging markets. As in other destination gaming markets, the Gulf Coast needs more nongaming attractions to drive business. New restaurants have arrived, and MGM Resorts International — which owns the market-leading Beau Rivage — essentially gave Biloxi land across the street for a new minor-league baseball stadium.

Casino operators also would like to see the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport which has only domestic routes despite the name add more direct flights from southern feeder markets. The airport, which gets less passenger traffic in a year than McCarran International Airport sees in a week, has recently upgraded gates and parking facilities, however.

We need attractions that complement gaming to drive the right type of tourism to the market. The Gulf Coast faced its share of challenges in the past 10 years. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in and Hurricanes Gustav, in , and Isaac, in , drew headlines but did little to disrupt business to the casinos. The recession that gripped the gaming industry on a national scale, however, slowed the Gulf Coast recovery. But the recession pushed the region into annual declines in six of the past seven years, according to the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

The Imperial Palace was the first to reopen in early November Isle of Capri Biloxi and the Palace followed in December. The property reopened in August As part of the construction platform demolition, Grand Biloxi collaborated with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources to reuse the building materials to create additional offshore fishing reefs at Katrina Key. The artificial reef, originally created in with materials from a highway bridge destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, reduces shoreline erosion and provides fish habitat.

English, who is known for his southern Louisiana culinary influence and acclaimed Memphis eateries Restaurant Iris and The Second Line, will lead the new fine dining restaurant, and the renovated casino will also offer other new restaurants and bars. A fast-casual restaurant will offer another hour dining option for guests, and improvements to the lobby bar will connect the lounge and lobby with the pool deck.

The new bar will have large windows for views of the pool. The Grand name is a single brand within our company of Caesar's Entertainment, whereas the Harrah's brand is well recognizable throughout the United States," said Smith. Not only will the longtime eyesore be demolished, but the construction materials removed from this site will be recycled into a fishing reef at nearby Katrina Key.

Not only with the addition of Katrina Key, but also with the addition of a wonderful great lawn and entertainment area," said Smith. By the way, the two pedestrian crossovers above Highway 90 will be restored and re-opened to the public. That big demolition job is expected to be finished by sometime this summer.

Copyright WLOX. All rights reserved. Skip to content. South Mississippi Mental Health Resources. With an eye toward future growth, Grand Casinos, Inc. The company also invested in its first Las Vegas gambling concern. The Stratosphere Tower project had been conceived by Robert E. Stupak knew Berman from poker tournaments and asked him to invest in what would be the highest observation tower in the U.

But Berman was interested in renovating and expanding the casino and hotel as well as completing the 1,foot tower, and Grand Casinos eventually gained controlling interest in Stratosphere Corp. But its relationship with the Mille Lacs Band had become unsettled. The tribe wanted to renegotiate the terms of its contract with Grand Casinos, but the company resisted. In a December 18, , Star Tribune article, Berman defended the agreement on grounds of the risk involved in the initial investment with the asset-poor tribes.

The company also provided employee training and development as well as its professional gambling expertise. In November, an Inspector General audit listed Grand Casinos among management companies said to be charging excessive fees to Indian tribes. Grand Casinos became the major gaming operator in Mississippi when it opened Grand Casino Biloxi, the world's largest floating casino, in January MCDC faced a challenging business climate.

Attendance figures had been falling off in three of five casinos operating in Tunica County, and more competitors were in line to open in the area. Bill Dorn wrote in a May Corporate Report Minnesota article, "Grand Casinos has come this far this fast by using Lyle Berman's disciplines from chain retailing--centralized management to provide continuity and consistency of product.

Citing personal reasons, Brosig cut back his level of involvement with the company and was succeeded as president by Pat Cruzen, a former Las Vegas executive with experience in the gambling and hospitality industries. Josephine Marcotty, in an August 17, Star Tribune article, said, "Cruzen is assuming responsibility at a critical time for Grand.

The Stratosphere Tower, located off the main strip and away from downtown Las Vegas, had been viewed as controversial from its conception.