MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST | (Biloxi, Gulfport, and other MS Coastal Cities)

[BLX 101]

Today's ground breaking of the Armed Forces Retirement Home is yet another sign that the Mississippi Gulf Coast is indeed coming back bigger and better than ever before. I made a trip to the Biloxi VA Medical Center today and was pleasingly surprise by what I found. The entire complex is undergoing a complete multi million dollar exterior/interior face-lift and it's looking amazing. The construction of the expanded out-patient pharmacy and ER is nearing completion. A new parking garage for the recently expanded Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport and the 400,000sf convention center should soon erupt out of the ground. This year will set a record for ground breaking here on the coast. Next up is Sam's Club and the Target shopping complex, a number of national hotel chains, condos and casinos, and educational institutions. Biloxi is set to break ground on its Lighthouse Park and visitors center and the new downtown multi-purpose complex (mini convention/community center) which will also house the new public library. Within a year, the new Hwy 67 should be opened completely with unrestricted access from East Biloxi to Tradition and Hwy 49. The re-population of New Orleans is on the rise and has recently exceeded 300,000. Pre- Katrina numbers were greater than 450,000; immediately following Katrina the numbers were less than 200,000. The Greater New Orleans Metro population is still above one million, down from 1.3 million. The New Orleans Arena has been sold out for the last four to five Hornets home games. I am hopefully optimistic that Six Flags Inc. can see the potentials in the future of this market and that they will soon announce a vigorous campaign to rebuild a second-to-none first-class park that will rival any of their other parks. New Orleans is listed as one of four most unique US cities. The other three are as follows: San Antonio, Baltimore and San Francisco. I believe that both New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast will rise as a major international tourism region.

[BLX 101]

RW Development Ready To Pitch A Biloxi Casino

Posted: March 3, 2008 05:52 PM CST

Updated: March 3, 2008 06:12 PM CST




The executives at RW Development say a casino proposal they'll present to Biloxi's Planning Commission on Thursday is nothing like the contentious Tivoli issue.

RW's plan is to build a casino resort at Veterans Avenue and Highway 90. The southern tip of that project would be up against the public sand beach. However, the company claims that what makes this different is the commercial land it owns south of the highway. Because that land is at the mean high tide, RW believes its in a legal casino zone.

The Gold Coast Resort would be the latest investment made by RW Development in the Biloxi strip. It's South Beach condominium is out of the ground. And a Veterans Place development with apartments and shops could be built north of the tracks in three months. It turns out, those projects could be considered RW Development's appetizer.

"We have saved the best for last," executive vice president Granville Smith told the WLOX Editorial Board.

Smith's casino resort concept would be built at the foot of Veterans Avenue and Highway 90.

"What we think is the gaming component will become the economic engine that will allow us to finance and develop a project of this scale," the son-in-law of former New Orleans Hornets owner Ray Wooldridge said.

But to build a casino on the old Biloxi strip, RW Development needs a zoning change. The company contends that since this area had commercial businesses south of Highway 90 before Katrina, and because this area was once a waterfront zone, the Gold Coast casino should be approved.

Mike Cavanaugh is RW Development's attorney.

"This is not a thought. This is not a maybe, sort of. This is a real deal, real developer, real money, real opportunity," Cavanaugh said.

Years before Wooldridge invested in Biloxi properties, he reached out to south Mississippi business owners to support a much different venture. Wooldridge was part of the ownership group that brought the Hornets basketball team to New Orleans. And he wanted south Mississippians to buy some season tickets. Now, Wooldridge and his team are trying to convince many of those same people that bringing a casino to Biloxi's strip is a similar slam dunk decision.

"This development as we've planned it is a no brainer," said Smith.

The Biloxi Planning Commission will hear RW's zoning change request, and its Gold Coast casino presentation on Thursday.

One of the graphics that will be shown at the meeting focuses on the tax revenue RW Development projects could generate for Biloxi. The combination of the South Beach condominium, a hotel across the street, the Veterans Place project with apartments and shops on the north end of Veterans, and the Gold Coast casino, the projection is that Biloxi and its schools could get more than $24 million a year in taxes.

By Brad Kessie

[BLX 101]

I plan on attending tomorrow's planning commission meeting. There are a number of items that are on the agenda such as The Gold Coast Casino Resort, a North Bay condominium project, a downtown live jazz club and a request to amend the plans for the previously approved Avalon Condominium. The California owners have now decided to build an eleven story 216 room hotel instead of the 114 condo units, under the same name. Also the IP is seeking a change in both zoning and their onshore gaming master plan.

[Velastor]

Wow, lots on the agenda....have fun and take lots of notes .

Also, this was posted on Sunherald.com and since you work for the Isle Blx you probably already know this.


Isle of Capri has new CEO and big plans for Biloxi


BILOXI --
Isle of Capri Casinos announced today that Jim Perry has been named CEO of the company and that planning for Phase I of a master plan for its Biloxi casino is nearly complete.

Perry is one of three former employees of Argosy Gaming and Trump Entertainment who recently joined Isle of Capri. The others are President and COO Virginia McDowell and Chief Financial Officer Dale Black.

Former CEO Bernard Goldstein remains with the company as chairman of the board.

Expansion of the Isle of Capri in Biloxi will be one of the company's first major projects. Those plans were put put on hold last year while Isle officials re-evaluated the Biloxi market post Hurricane Katrina.

The company reported a $13.8 million loss from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2008 compared to an $8.9 million loss in the third quarter of fiscal 2007.

[Velastor]

About Avalon, I think a hotel would be much better than a condo honestly.

[BLX 101]

Originally Posted by Velastor

About Avalon, I think a hotel would be much better than a condo honestly.

I think that the Avalon and its location would be great as a hotel. Though I must admit that I was looking forward to the first up-scale condo development to be built in the immediate downtown area. Hopefully the Harbor Point and City Place will come to fruition. The reconstruction of the Biloxi small craft harbor is progressing. There is a photo link on the city's website. Other hotel names to look out for is the Marriott, Hilton, Crown Plaza and possibly the Hyatt at or near the coast convention center. Two properties that would be an excellent aquisition for the Marriott chain are the 13-story Santa Maria tower and the White House Hotel as a Rennaisance. The following is a link for the White House restoration.


http://www.whitehouseonthegulf.com/wh_vision1.html

[BLX 101]

Posted on Thu, Mar. 06, 2008
Isle's longtime CEO retiring
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI -- "The Father of Riverboat Gambling," who opened the first Mississippi casino in Biloxi 15 years ago, is stepping aside as chief executive officer of Isle of Capri Casinos.
Bernard Goldstein remains with the company as chairman of the board. He said during an earnings conference call Wednesday that the appointment of Jim Perry as chief executive officer is "good news for the company as well as me personally."

Goldstein formed the Isle of Capri company after 40 years in the scrap metal business. "I enjoyed watching the company grow," he said. The Isle of Capri now operates 19 casinos, including in Biloxi, Lula and Natchez, and moved its headquarters from Biloxi to St. Louis after Hurricane Katrina.

Perry became a board member last year and takes over as CEO Monday. He is one of three former employees of Argosy Gaming and Trump Entertainment who recently joined the Isle of Capri. The others are President and COO Virginia McDowell and Chief Financial Officer Dale Black.

The company reported a $13.8 million loss from continuing operations for the three months ending Jan. 27 compared to an $8.9 million loss in the same quarter a year ago. Officials said third quarter earnings in Biloxi were lower than they expected and the opening of two lanes of the Biloxi Bay Bridge in November didn't provide the additional traffic they had expected.

Expansion of the Isle of Capri in Biloxi will be one of the company's first major projects under Perry. The original plans were put on hold last year while the company re-evaluated the post-Katrina Biloxi market. McDowell said she expects plans for phase one of the master plan to go to their board in April and be announced to the public sometime after that.

She previously said the company wants to develop and implement a master plan, "which will help ensure that our product will remain competitive in the market." The company plans $40 million in capital expenditures for the next fiscal year and with the planning and permit process, it will be the second half of the year before construction can begin.

[BLX 101]

The Mssissippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center will soon be getting an on-site hotel. Bill Holmes the director, recently stated that they have been contacted by several national hotel chains wanting to build a convention hotel that would be connected to the 400,000sf center.


Posted on Thu, Mar. 06, 2008
Coliseum land-lease bill approved
By MICHAEL NEWSOM
mmnewsom@sunherald.com


JACKSON -- The Legislature has approved a bill that would allow the Mississippi Coast Coliseum to lease or exchange its surplus properties, as officials hope to attract a hotel to the site so the area has a better shot of landing big conventions.
The bill was passed in the Senate last week, and Wednesday, the House approved it. Now the bill goes to Gov. Haley Barbour for his signature.

Sen. Tommy Gollott, R-Biloxi, who pushed the bill with several other South Mississippi legislators, told the Sun Herald last week that Coliseum officials had asked for the legislation. Coliseum officials said they hope to lure a hotel to the southeast corner of the property near the intersection of U.S. 90 and Beauvoir Road.

Local tourism officials have pointed to a lack of hotel space after Hurricane Katrina as one of the main reasons the area struggles to attract conventions, which bring revenue into the local economy.

[BLX 101]

The design team for the Gold Coast Casino Resort is Dale/Morris of Biloxi. They, as you know are the architects of Bayview Casino Resort, Bacaran Bay, Casablanca and Vieux Crescente.


http://www.wlox.com/global/story.asp?s=7979283

http://www.dale-morris.com/


Biloxi Planning Commission Approves RW Development

Posted: March 6, 2008 10:19 PM CST

Updated: March 7, 2008 09:54 AM CST

Don Culpepper Updates RW Development Projects In Biloxi



BILOXI (WLOX) -- Back in the 1960s, the Biloxi Strip - located between Rodenburg and Veterans Avenues - had a little something for everyone, even if it wasn't all legal.

"That sign says two bands, floor show, and $1.50 buffet," RW Development attorney Mike Cavanaugh said. "I can assure you there was non-regulatory compliant gaming going on in this building."

"That was the strip," RW Development spokesperson Reed Guice said. "That is where the entire nation came for entertainment."

And Guice believes the future Biloxi Strip could be even greater.

"When you combine all of the projects that RW Development has - South Beach is coming up out of the ground, Veterans Avenue back north of the railroad tracks where they're going to have over a thousand work force housing units, along with retail and hotels as well. And then when you add this project, yes, you're getting close to $2 billion in investment."

Their latest project is the Gold Coast Casino Resort. RW representatives went before the Biloxi Planning Commission Thursday to request a series of zoning changes needed to move the project forward.

"This is an area where a casino should be," Guice said. "The city fathers wanted a casino there in the first place in 1993."

Maybe that's one reason why, after much support and little opposition was voiced, the planning commission overwhelming approved the project. But it still needs the approval of the city and the state.

"We hope the city fathers will agree. And when we go to Jackson, that the gaming commission, I know, will give us a fair hearing, and we look forward to what they have to say," Guice said. "To think that that area can be the strip again is pretty exciting."

Also at Thursday's meeting, the commission approved a rezoning request for IP Casino Resort. It opens the door for the casino's eventual move onto dry land south of its present location.

[BLX 101]

This doesn't sound good, but hopefully Torguson will work out a new lease with the property owners; we can hope.


Posted on Sat, Mar. 08, 2008
Bacaran Bay lease terminated
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI -- Bacaran Bay Casino this week lost its lease to build on 9.29 acres between Caillavet Street and Interstate 110.
According to documents filed Monday with the Chancery Clerk of Harrison County, the lease with MFT Casino and Torguson Gaming Group was terminated by Caillavet Street Development Group on March 3. This lease was dated Aug. 1, 2007, and amended the original lease signed in October 2004.

A financing company, Firegame LLC, holds a mortgage with MFT Casino and has until March 21 to assume the lease.

Marlin Torguson, CEO of Torguson Gaming, did not return calls for comment.

Torguson, founder of the Casino Magic properties, had planned to build the $500 million Bacaran Bay Casino before Katrina. The resort was to have a hotel and condos, two wedding chapels, a bowling alley, a movie theater and six restaurants, plus shopping, nightclub and convention space.

When construction costs jumped after the storm, the resort was scaled back and redesigned and the price went up to $600 million.

In September 2007, Torguson said drainage, sewage and other pre-construction work were under way at the site and groundbreaking was expected before the end of the year.

Caillavet Street Development is owned by the Gollott, Rhodes, Ainsworth and Swetman families, Bob Porter and Donald Bailus. Caillavet Street is anchored to the north by IP Casino resort and on the south by the Beau Rivage; Bacaran Bay was to link the Back Bay and U.S. 90 casinos.

[pleasebiloxi]

In my opinion Bacaran Bay is done. If they thought they could still build this project they would have extended the lease while they still had it under contract. They know that they cannot sell any of their condos, which they would use the money form that to get financing for the project. Plus, they have no competitive advantages compared to Margaritaville or Gold Coast if they get approved. Who would want a condo next to the highway when you could have one on the beach for almost the same price? I think if they were going to rework the lease they would have done it while they were under contract. Now the financing company has the right to come in an assume the lease. If not, the site is basically just another waterfront site with no one to develop it.

[pleasebiloxi]

This is a great reason to support thr Gold Coast development. They are the only ones, other than margaritaville that have actually began developing like they said they would. I know these deals are complicated, but it seems like a lot of these developers, (Bacaran Bay, Venezia, Bienville ect..) come in and just float ideas and get entitlements and don't do anything. I think Gold Coast has the best chance of happening compared to any other developments that have been proposed on the beach, other than South Beach, which is also RW Development

[kensportsresort]

I am looking to build and develop the first ever sports resort in the world in Biloxi, I need ffed back from you guys, my email is ken10291980@yahoo.com. Also let me how I can get funding for this project and what I have to do. It is going to have three casinos, three hotels, mall, 2 five star restaurant, 4 clubs, 1 huge sports bar and lounge.

[kensportsresort]

PROJECT COMPONENTS



• Main Arena
26,000 seats
• Action Sports Arena
10,000 seats
• Swim & Dive Center
5,000 seats
• Three Multi Purpose Sports Venues
3,000 seats each
• Climate Controlled Driving Range
2,000 portable seats
• Shooting Range
2,000 portable seats
• Bowling Alley
2,000 portable seats
• Ice Rink
1,000 seats

• 200,000 sq. ft.
• 200 top international sports
product manufacturers will showcase and demonstrate their finest sports products.

Arena Football • Aerobics • Amateur Wrestling • Archery• Arm Wrestling • Badminton • Basketball • Billiards • BMX • Bodybuilding • Bowling • Boxing • Cheerleading • Croquet • Cycling • Darts • Diving • Equestrian • Extreme Sports • Fencing • Figure Skating • Flag Football • Frisbee • Gymnastics • Hackysack • Handball • Horseshoe • Ice Hockey • Ice Skating • Indoor Track & Field • Indoor Soccer • In-Line Skating • Indoor Triathlon • Ju-Jitsu • Judo • Karate • Jai-Alai • Lacrosse • Little League Baseball • Wrestling • Lumberjack Sports • Modern Pentathlon • Motor cross• Paddleball • Paint ball • Pro Wrestling • Racquetball • Rodeo • Roller Hockey • Roller Sports • Soccer • Shooting • Shuffleboard • Skateboarding • Skating • Softbal l• Speed Skating • Special Olympics • Squash • Swimming • Table Tennis Taekwond o• Tennis • Trampoline • Ultimate Fighting • Volleyball • Water Polo • Weightlifting



• 3 Five Star Restaurants
• 15 Fastfood Outlets
• Healthy Man's Buffet
• 24-Hour Coffee Shop
• Concession Stands for every Venue





• 100,000 sq. ft. Traditional Casino
• 50,000 sq. ft. Glass Enclosed “Smoke Free” Casino
• 3,500 Slot Machines
• 130 Gaming Tables
• High Stakes Gaming
• Private Casino Salons



• 500 Condominiums / Timeshare:
• Three Floor plans
• World-Class Amenities





• 20,000 Parking Spaces
• 4 Valet Stations



• Auto Shows
• Concerts
• Ice Shows
• Poker
• Monster Trucks
• Demolition Derby
• Roller Derby
• Beauty Contests
• Award Shows
• Much More




• Swimming
• Track & Field
• Archery
• Fencing
• Much More



• 100,000 sq. ft.
• Sports Equipment
• Sports Apparel
• Sports Footwear




• 3,956 Affordable rooms / 350 sq. ft.
each Price fixed at $89.00, 365
days a year
• 980 Luxury Suites / 700 sq. ft. each
Starting at $140.00 per night, subject to season, availability and event
• 216 Super Luxury / Hospitality Suites,
1,400 sq. ft. and up, each Starting at
$500.00 per night, subject to season, availability and even



• 750,000 sq. ft. Stand Alone Convention Space



• 10 Night Clubs
• Ultimate Party Blvd




Aerobics • Archery • Badminton • Basketball • Biking • Batting Cages • Billiards • BMX • Bodybuilding • Bowling • Bungee Jumping • Cheerleading • Croquet • Cycling • Driving Range • Darts • Hackysack • Horseshoes • Ice Skating • Golf Simulators • Ju-Jitsu • Judo • Karate • Nascar Simulators • F-16 Simulators • Mechanical Bull Riding • Paint Ball • Handball • Physical Education • Rock Climbing • Roller Sports • Shooting • Roller Hockey • Shuffleboard • Skateboarding • Skating •Soccer • Softball• Swimming • Table Tennis •Trampoline • Weightlifting



• Video Arcade
• Comedy/Theater
• Go-Cart Racing
• Laser Tag
• Movie Theater
• Minature Golf
• House Band
• Sports Bar
• Hot Body Contests
• Arts 7 Crafts
• Shooting Gallery
• Carnival Games
• Lounge Entertainment
• Magic Show/Puppet Show
• Much More

[Red UM Rebel]

After nearly 6+ years of promising a resort, the lot still sits empty. I have heard that one reason the lease was terminated was because there was no construction began before 2008. The owners of the lot as part of the lease was going to gain more revenue once a casino was operational. I think you will see the owners of the property now try to attract a different group (most likely a corporation) to the spot. As another forum person pointed out though, being that close to I-110 will be a very difficult sell.

[pleasebiloxi]

Ken,
Where do you plan on building this monstrous resort?

[BLX 101]

Originally Posted by kensportsresort

I am looking to build and develop the first ever sports resort in the world in Biloxi, I need ffed back from you guys, my email is ken10291980@yahoo.com. Also let me how I can get funding for this project and what I have to do. It is going to have three casinos, three hotels, mall, 2 five star restaurant, 4 clubs, 1 huge sports bar and lounge.

Kensportsresort I am not convinced that you are legit. However, I would suggest that any developer seeking to build a resort of any kind in Biloxi, speak with Mike Boudreaux the founder of Gulf Coast Investment Developers, Inc (GCID). He has had great success in walking many developers through each step of the permitting phase. I personally doubt that there is sufficient waterfront land available to build such a huge sports resort. The largest piece of undeveloped waterfront in Biloxi is in the Point (Cadet) overlooking the new Biloxi Bay Bridge. A portion of this land is where Onnam Entertainment had proposed to build the Havana Casino Resort. The city is in the first stages of expanding the newly Back Bay four lane boulevard that will connect this undeveloped property to I-110 and US 90. View Red UM Rebel's East Biloxi map on page 9 of this forum.


http://gcid.biz/

[BLX 101]

Posted on Tue, Mar. 18, 2008
Tivoli investor loses a pile on Bear Stearns
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


BILOXI -- British billionaire Joseph Lewis could have built the Tivoli Casino in Biloxi with what he reportedly lost in the Bear Stearns collapse.
Lewis, 70, was the principle investor of the billion dollar Tivoli Casino proposed in East Biloxi last year. On Sept. 10, 2007, eight days before the Biloxi City Council approved the Tivoli Casino rezoning, Lewis became the major stockholder of Bear Stearns. He spent $860 million, paying an average of about $107 per share, and in December he invested $150 million more at about $118 per share.

On Monday, JP Morgan Chase purchased the Bear Sterns stock for $2 per share.

Financial experts said it was a run on the bank that forced the "fire sale" of Bear Stearns, as nervous investors demanded their money.

A very private man and self-made billionaire, Lewis, 70, was ranked 369 on the 2007 Forbes list of World's Richest People. He founded the Florida-based Tavistock Group that controls more than 170 companies in 15 countries with holdings in oil and gas, restaurants, manufacturing and other investments. Tavistock has teamed with golf greats Tiger Woods and Ernie Els to build a Florida golf community.

His portfolio doesn't include the Tivoli Casino, which he wanted to finance. After the Biloxi City Council voted to change the zoning to waterfront, Mayor A.J. Holloway vetoed the 4-3 vote and the council wasn't able to override his veto. The developers needed the waterfront zoning before they could ask the Mississippi Gaming Commission to rule whether the property north of U.S. 90 was a legal casino site.

Mike Boudreaux, president of Gulf Coast Investment Developers Inc., said at the time that Lewis saw the opportunity both in the Tivoli and what could be given back to the community after Hurricane Katrina.

Lewis "was and still is a very wealthy man," Boudreaux said Monday after Bear Stearns was sold.

The Tivoli Casino developers haven't announced what they intend to do with the large parcel of land and may be watching the outcome of RW Development's application to rezone land north of U.S. 90 for South Beach Resort & Casino. The Biloxi Planning Commission approved that project, and it now heads to the Biloxi City Council for a vote.

[BLX 101]

City Place is being marketed by a high profile Los Angeles (Memphis branch) and Baton Rouge investment firms.


http://www.cordarocompanies.com/incl...lace_Flyer.pdf


I fear that if the rezoning for the Gold Coast Casino passes, many of the other condo developers on the Strip (Rodenberg to Treasure Bay) will want to develop casinos. I feel that this would be a tragedy. Some of these proposals are beautiful projects without adding casinos. There must be a balance of development in Biloxi; meaning non casino hotels and condos. The following links are excellent examples of projects that are proposed for this area. An eleven story Crowne Plaza-Holiday Inn and a seven story Hilton Gardens are slated to begin construction this year near Rodenberg Ave.


http://www.bienvillecondos.com/

http://www.seasidebiloxi.com/seaside/

http://www.southbeachbiloxi.com/flash/

http://www.veneziabiloxi.com/

http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/GCNnewsNewCondosGCID.htm


Neither Aqua Resorts or Sterling Beach have their own independent sites. They are both listed under Gulf Coast Investment Developers, Inc.


http://gcid.biz/

[BLX 101]

Finally, an online rendering of the proposed Bayview Casino Resort. My property can be seen just over the pool deck.


Posted on Fri, Mar. 21, 2008
Quick approval: Bayview Casino will be built on Back Bay
By MARY PEREZ
meperez@sunherald.com


JACKSON -- The Mississippi Gaming Commission quickly approved the site plan Thursday for a new casino resort on Biloxi's Back Bay.
The developers told the Gaming Commission they hope to return with the building plans by summer, and Managing Director John Ed Ainsworth said they should break ground "certainly in 2008."

Bayview Casino will be built between Boomtown Casino to the west and the Old Brick House on Bayview Avenue and Braun Street. The resort will be developed in phases, with the casino and hotel on the south side of Bayview Avenue built first, followed by an undetermined project on the 2.4 acres between the street and the water.

Les McMackin, who formerly worked in the corporate office of Isle of Capri Casinos, will be managing and developing Bayview through Panther Gaming and Entertainment. He told the Gaming Commission the conceptual plans call for a $325 million resort with 70,000 square feet of casino space. "It's still very conceptual," he said, and ideas such as the rooftop swimming pool are likely to change once the project is value engineered.

The current plans call for 519 hotel rooms, 1,400 slot machines, 45 table games, four restaurants, a swimming pool and spa, shopping, an entertainment venue with 2,000 seats and a 25,000-square-foot meeting and banquet facility.

"These developers continue to express not just an interest in the Gulf Coast," said Gaming Commission Chairman Jerry St. Pé, "but are backing it up." The site approval carries a significant investment, he said, and shows the Coast market is still vibrant.

Commissioner John Hairston said Biloxi has improved Bayview Avenue, which is part of the casino loop in East Biloxi, and he feels this project is a logical step to link the casinos on the Back Bay with those along U.S. 90.

"This is a tough time right now to raise capital," he said. Once Bayview Casino puts together the financial backing to move forward, "one of the winners should be the Old Brick House," he said, because the adjacent casino resort will bring it back into the community.

Also at Thursday's meeting,IP Casino Resort in Biloxi was fined $25,000 for failing to report suspicious activity on the casino floor that was seen by the surveillance department.

John Payne, president of Harrah's Central District, said Margaritaville Casino in Biloxi is still expected to open in early 2010. Housing isn't a problem for the workers building the casino, but he said many more homes will be needed when it's time to start hiring thousands of workers for the new resort.

The Gaming Commission will come to the Coast for its next meeting, April 17 at 9 a.m. at Hard Rock Casino Biloxi.


http://www.sunherald.com/business/story/444776.html