Treasure Bay Biloxi back in business
Treasure Bay Biloxi Hotel and Casino back in business
Eighty-one slot machines and a restaurant that features Asian Cajun crawfish as its signature dish attracted a steady stream of customers to Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel in Biloxi on Wednesday, its first day to be open after Hurricane Katrina.
“We’ve had a lot of regular customers and former employees stop by,” said Susan Varnes, chief operating officer at Treasure Bay.
Varnes did not have the exact number of patrons who visited the casino.
The slot machines are located across U.S. 90 in the hotel building. Customers enter through an air-conditioned construction tunnel that employees have decorated with their handprints, Varnes said.
The casino and restaurant named The Den opened at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The reopening put 200 employees back to work, she said.
Larry Gregory, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, said Treasure Bay’s history as an established Gulf Coast casino merited giving the go-ahead for it to reopen with just 81 slots.
“Would I have let another gaming company without their history do it?” he asked. “Absolutely not.”
Treasure Bay plans to add additional slots and open hotel rooms by the end of October, Varnes said.
Source: Poker MagÂ