Crowd packs IP for casino’s opening

By TOM WILEMON
tewilemon@sunherald.com

BILOXI – A crowd of impatient gamblers rushed into the IP Casino just after 11 a.m. Thursday, a reopening that was delayed two hours because of a glitch in the surveillance system.

“Let the good times roll,” Mayor A.J. Holloway said as he cut the ribbon to the completely renovated and refurbished casino.

The casino’s new poker room remained closed, but the surveillance cameras may be repaired in 24 to 48 hours, said Larry Gregory, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

Two more casinos will open before the end of the year, the Isle of Capri on Dec. 26 and the Palace on Dec. 30.

The people at the front of the lines included drive-in gamblers from Alabama and Florida. Air flights in and out of the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport are almost up to their pre-Katrina levels so gamblers also can fly into Biloxi.

Teresa Snow Waltman of Alabama, who met her husband at the casino seven years ago, said Biloxi holds a special place in her heart for several reasons.

“When we had to evacuate from the Mobile area for Hurricane Ivan in 2004, the people of Mississippi were so good,” she said. “They were so gracious and helpful. When this happened to them, I cried. I just want to say this to everybody in Mississippi. Were going to keep coming in and make it good.”

Mississippi’s Coast is also dear to Bob Seely of Pensacola. As Hurricane Katrina approached, he came to Biloxi and took one last drive down U.S. 90 on the day before the storm struck. He stopped to smoke a cigarette and drink a cup of coffee in front of the new Hard Rock Casino, which never got a chance to open.

“I got caught in that traffic jam,” Seely said. “It took me eight hours to get back to Pensacola.”

Steve Richer, the executive director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, was all smiles as the gamblers rushed past him.

“This is the first clear signal today to the investment marketplace that the Coast is coming back greater and stronger,” Richer said.”It’s going to be a safe bet to invest in this economy and this area.”

Source: Sun Herald

Imperial Palace to have a bar named Katrina

Ok I am little confused here, I was just reading an article on ABC News about the gran re-opening of the Imperial Palace in Biloxi there is one quote in the article that says:

In case anyone forgot what they had been through, they could have a drink in Biloxi’s Katrina Bar.

This makes me think that the IP will have a bar named after Katrina. What does everyone think, do you think it is a good idea or bad idea??

I will hold my comments until I hear back from some readers. Post your comments below or email me at editor@biloxiblog.com

Casino Openings Highlight Start of 2006 on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

BILOXI, Miss., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ — When the Imperial Palace reopens as an upgraded, refurbished casino resort on December 22, the optimistic fresh start for the Mississippi Gulf Coast will begin with it.

Before New Year’s, the Imperial Palace, the Isle of Capri, and the Palace will all reopen, giving the heavily hurricane-impacted Coast a reason to greet 2006 with hope and a brighter outlook. Between them, the three resorts have approximately 2,000 rooms, all of which will be in high demand. “Having these three resorts back in business will attract thousands of day trip customers, some of our meetings business, and many tour groups,” said Stephen Richer, Executive Director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Although we still will be far short of our previous room inventory and meeting space, we know that the demand to visit our destination is high and that business will take off with the reopening of the Imperial Palace, the Isle of Capri, and the Palace.”

Another highlight of renewed tourism industry activity occurred on December 16, when American Eagle introduced two daily roundtrip flights from Gulfport/Biloxi Regional Airport to Dallas/Fort Worth International. American Airlines had been out of the Mississippi Gulf Coast market for over a decade. The new service will help bring air seats back to 92% of pre-Katrina levels in January, when Continental adds additional seats.

SOURCE Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau