Casino gaming on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Meyer-Arendt, Klaus J. (author)
Klein, Lawrence A. (editor)
Landry, Mary (editor)
Seward, Joe E. (editor)

Marine Resources and History of the Mississippi Gulf Coast v.3

291

308

1998

The Mississippi Gulf Coast has been a tourist destination since prior to Mississippi being admitted into the United States of America. The popularity of the Coast for tourism has waxed and waned over the years in response to economic cycles, hurricanes, and alternative trendy destinations. In the 1990s, a new wave of tourism in the form of legalized casino gambling swept the state, especially the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In late 1998, there were eleven operating casinos on the Coast and several more under construction. The development of the casino industry has not been without controversy in the coastal counties, and the impacts have been mixed. Economically, there has been a rejuvenation as new jobs were created and the demand for housing increased tremendously. In terms of environmental impacts- highway traffic, hurricane evacuation planning, and socio-cultural impacts-casino development has borne a cost. Traditional patterns of tourism have been altered, and no comprehensive land-use analysis of future casino development exists. This chapter is written to: 1) provide a brief background of gambling on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, 2) discuss the Mississippi Gaming Control Act of 1990, 3) present a chronology of casino development, 4) evaluate the economic impacts, 5) assess how casino development has altered historic patterns of tourism development, and 6) examine some of the implications for urban planning and coastal management.

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