In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it is clear that the damage is much worse than originally thought. Dozens of people have lost their lives, homes and business have been destroyed, and much of the Mississippi Gulf Coast has been devastated. As far as casinos go, this is an unmitigated disaster.
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Bad to worse
Katrina closes casinos
Hurricane Katrina is, as I write this, devastating parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, and, as is increasingly common these days, there is a connection to gambling: casinos in the area, particuarly on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, have been hit hard, and the impact–in both the short and long run–will be felt nationally.
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The President resigns?
The President casino, long a mainstay in Biloxi, is closing up. It’s barge is being relocated. I’m sure that it’s a fine institution, but I had my doubts about the casino when I took a look at the carpet:
It’s so lackluster–like someone dropped a bunch of swizzle sticks on the floor. When I first saw that carpet, I knew the casino wasn’t a winner.
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Dennis’s impact
Hurricane Dennis might be wreaking havoc with Gulf Coast casinos soon, and the Mississippi Gaming Commission is ready. Even before an official shut-down order has been issued, though, Gulfport music lovers have bad news.
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Just because it’s cool
I got a player’s card here when I visited Biloxi, and I’m still getting emails with room offers, even though I didn’t play a nickel. Thanks to the magic of the web, you too can seeTreasure Bay… a pirate-themed casino resort on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Bright Mississippi
Anytime I get to reference a Thelonious Monk composition, it’s good news. In any event, I am writing this from Mississippi–more precisely, in the library of the University of Southern Mississippi, on the ground floor, facing northeast (again, something for fans of The Wire to appreciate). I’m about a block away from the beach, which is really cool. I live in the desert, but in less than 24 hours I went from the Pacific Ocean (well, Westwood) to the Gulf Coast.
So far, I’ve got very positive impressions of Gulfport and Biloxi. I’ve met with some very nice people and been shown around some of the properties. It is fascinating because it seems to draw on a much different market than those that I’m familiar with, yet most everything is the same. I haven’t been to Treasure Bay, the pirate ship casino, but I most definitely will go tomorrow or Saturday. I’ve been taking pictures of the casino carpet and will add a new page to my galleries when I get back.
Pretty much the only way that you can tell that these are not land-based casinos is the little connecting ramp that you walk over. Even that I haven’t noticed except for the few times I’ve tripped on it, much to the amusement of those familiar with it. I guess you get used to it.
I’m giving my much-anticipated paper (well, somewhat anticipated paper) on “Gaming as an Inherently Global Business” tomorrow…if I can tear myself away from the beach. I didn’t see too many people down there, but to me, temperatures over 80 and humidity over 80% just screams “beach day.” I just happened to bring a pair of board shorts with me, so I am good to go.
Anyway, look for another update tomorrow.
Mother nature hates casinos?
That’s the irrational explanation for those who try to impose causality on random events–something that many gamblers excel at. Anyway, because of the looming threat of Hurricane Ivan, the state has closed Mississippi coast casinos. From the Sun Herald:
State regulators ordered the coast casinos shut to customers at noon Tuesday. Casino workers had until midnight to finish securing the properties and to seal the doors, said Gaming Commission spokeswoman Leigh Ann Wilkins.At 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Ivan was centered about 405 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and about 450 miles south of Panama City Beach. It was moving north-northwest at 9 mph.
Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway, whose city is home to most of the glitzy gambling halls, said local officials must deal with not only some 55,000 residents but at least that number of gamblers and tourists on any given day.
Eleven of the 12 casinos are in Harrison County, the middle of the three coastal counties. Hancock County, which borders Louisiana, has one. There are no casinos in Jackson County, which borders Alabama.
Gamblers continued playing slots and table games shortly before the casinos closed.
Ed Bak of Fairfield, Ohio, dropped quarters into a slot machine at the President Casino and said he wasn’t concerned about Ivan ruining his vacation.
“I don’t worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow. We can’t control it anyway,” said Bak, who traveled to the Mississippi Gulf Coast this week on a bus tour with other Midwesterners.
“When you go somewhere, you take a chance,” Bak said. “That’s Mother Nature.”
When I worked in a casino, I used to while away the hours by imagining hypotheical scenarios, as kind of a mental game. In addition to figuring out several probably fool-proof schemes for robbing the casino (thankfully, larceny is not in my heart, and this was only a thought exercise never put into action), I used to try to imagine what magnitude event it would take to force the casino close. I know that during several bad snowstorms, we stayed open. It came down to severe earthquake (not likely in New Jersey), working fire on the casino floor (small fires elsewhere not included), or a large hurricane that forced the evacuation of Absecon Island. So I guess my voyage of the mind was vindicated because Mississippi casinos in the path of a large hurricane have been closed.
I especially liked the end of the excerpt, where gamblers didn’t want to leave. This, in my experience, is to be expected. I have seen surveillance footage of an armed robbery where a security officer is shot in the face, and people sitting a slot machines not only didn’t move, but argued when told they had to. If you can keep gambling with a gunshot victim sprawled behind you, I’m guessing that a hurricane warning isn’t going to mean much.
I think I’m going to put Ed Bak’s musings on fate into my quote index:
I don’t worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow. We can’t control it anyway.
Yeah, that’s a guy who digs the ever-spinning wheel of fortune, which man is powerless to stop. Something about that attitude annoys me, because it implies a progression from resignation to a fickle fate towards total apathy and acceptance of anything. It’s like people who repeatedly drive drunk, and when asked whether they would feel bad if they hit and killed a bunch of children, just say, “No. When it’s your time, it’s your time. I wouldn’t be my fault.” These people are truly dangerous.
While I think that a certain amount of acceptance of fortune’s caprice is a good thing, just saying, “I can’t control the future, so nothing matters” is a sure ticket to an unfulfilling life.
