Beau Rivage in Biloxi plans to be one of the first Mississippi sportsbooks.
Mississippi casinos have the go-ahead to conduct legalized sports betting. Last week, the Mississippi Gaming Commission adopted the regulations for sports betting, though it imposed a 30-day moratorium on opening sportsbooks.
The delay is designed to let state officials put the final touches on regulations, while letting the various gaming operators to install sportsbook facilities.
After a 30-day waiting period, ending July 20th, sports wagers can be placed at any one of the 28 casinos in Mississippi. Casino companies that already have sports books in Las Vegas – such as MGM, Caesars Entertainment and Golden Nugget — are more like to open quickly as they already have sports betting systems in place.
Most of the state’s casinos want to open a sportsbook by the start of football season, which is the busiest time for sportsbooks, Beau Rivage aims to be ready opening day.
“Diverse and Welcoming Destination”
Milton Segarra, the executive director of MS Gulf Coast, discussed his casino’s preparations. Segarra said, “We are making the right moves as a destination to expand and to be appealing to more visitors, proving we are a very diverse and welcoming destination.”
Three days following the US Supreme Court ruling, the Mississippi Gaming Commission sent their proposed regulations for sports betting in Mississippi casinos. The state legislature passed a bill legalizing sports betting if the Supreme Court ever overturned PASPA, in the hopes to be among the first few states to allow sports betting.
Despite the 2017 bill, the gaming commission has to nail down the regulations and policies which will govern Mississippi sports betting. Mississippi has high expectations as far as revenue goes for the addition of sports betting. The Coast casinos saw a record high revenue for April this year. Their highest April revenue since the casinos opening back in 1992.
Here is an update on where casino stand in their preparations:
Beau Rivage in Biloxi
Beau Rivage already has its infrastructure in place for sports betting, according to Brandon Dardeau, the vice president of marketing at MGM Resorts International’s Beau Rivage Resort & Casino.
Dardeau said, “Beau Rivage is on track to take wagers the day sports betting regulations go into effect. We have looked forward to offering sports wagering in Mississippi for many years.”
“Construction has already begun on our provisional seven-window sports betting facility, which will be located outside the poker room. We’re currently in the process of hiring and training new sports book employees and finalizing our internal procedures.”
Beau Rivage, located in Biloxi, is a huge casino offering 1,846 gaming machines and ninety-six table and poker games. The Casino & Hotel features eleven restaurants and three bars and offers 1,740 rooms which includes 95 luxury suites.
Golden Nugget Biloxi
Though the casino & hotel may not be 100% ready for full swing sports betting come opening day, general manager Chett Harrison said “in some form” the casino will be ready. “We’ve been working on plans since probably early spring. We’ll be ready for football.”
“It’s going to be great,” Harrison said, “especially during football season, the Final Four and other big sporting events.”
Michael Patrick’s sports bar, the casino’s only bar, will be the main setup spot for the sports betting. Harrison said they aim to have a “Vegas-style” feel to the bar where guests can bet, eat and watch games.
The Casino & Hotel features 1,192 gaming machines and fifty-three table and poker games. The Golden Nugget offers seven restaurants and one bar. The hotel has 706 rooms.
Hard Rock Biloxi
Hard Rock general manager Todd Raziano spoke about the casino’s progress saying that now that rules and guidelines have been released by the Gaming Commission, the casino has better direction as to what needs to be done to fully prepare.
Raziano said, “We plan to be open by football season, just like everyone else.”
The Hard Rock is weighing between a couple of possible locations within the casino to setup a sport betting spot. The Biloxi Hotel & Casino features 1,196 gaming machines and forty-four table games. They offer nine restaurants, one bar and have a hotel with 479 rooms.
Harrah’s Gulf Coast
Harrah’s is in the midst of designing a space for the casino’s sports betting. Harrah’s Gulf Coast general manager, Jonathan Jones said parent company, Caesars Entertainment, has “a fantastic infrastructure already in place for us to capitalize upon.”
“We expect to give our guests the ability to wager on sports at Harrah’s beginning with the 2018 fall football season. We are looking forward to capitalizing upon this new opportunity, and to debut this new and exciting feature at our resort and casino.”
The casino’s gaming space features 772 gaming machines and thirty-two table games. The property offers five restaurants. The hotel has 499 rooms available.
Island View Casino
The beach casino already has a sports betting area set up, as well as a sports betting counter available in the north casino, equipped with betting kiosks at various locations.
According to owners Rick Carter and Terry Green, customers will have access to a sports betting app in which they can place bets on their smartphone or tablet while on the Island View property.
One of the Coast’s larger casino and hotels, Island Views features 1,842 gaming machines and forty-two table games. The beach property has three restaurants, three bars as well as a hotel with 970 rooms.
Palace Casino in Biloxi
Palace general manager Keith Crosby said that the casino’s sports betting will be centered around Contact sports bar. “Suddenly there’s a very large interest in a very limited amount of equipment.”
Crosby said as he discussed the challenge casinos have hit when trying to set up their sports betting areas. Palace, like most other casinos, expects to be ready by the start of football season.
One of the states smaller casinos, Palace is equipped with 866 gaming machines and twenty-six table games. The casino hotel has four restaurants and offers 234 rooms.
Scarlet Pearl in D’lberville
The casino & hotel, located in D’Iberville, was one of the first Gulf Coast casinos to announces that they would be offering sports betting. LuAnn Pappas, the Scarlet Pearl CEO, said the property’s management was working on the possibility of sports betting before the Supreme Court ruling was announced.
“The timing could not be better as we are currently under construction for two spectacular food and beverage venues as added amenities for our guests,” said Pappas.
The restaurants are design to highlight the sports betting facilities the casino will offer. The casino’s gaming space features 1,202 gaming machines and forty-eight table and poker games. Scarlet Pearl has five restaurants and offers 300 hotel rooms.
Silver Slipper in Hancock County
General manager John Ferrucci at the Silver Slipper said the casino will be working with a third-party vendor to oversee the operations. At the moment, the Silver Slipper has 20 televisions to watch games.
John Ferrucci added, “We have created an area on casino floor that has good visibility.”
Ferrucci said he hopes the casino will have sports betting fully operational starting September 1. The casino features a gaming floor with 954 gaming machines and twenty-nine table games. The property has three restaurants and offers two smaller hotels with 129 rooms.
