Mississippi casinos see pent-up demand after reopenings

Most Mississippi casinos reopened May 21 after weeks of a mandated shutdown due to the coronavirus. Following positive Memorial Day and July 4th holiday weekends, casino operators and tourism officials say they are pleased with what they’ve seen so far in the summer season and are hopeful about how the rest of the year plays out.

At Silver Slipper Casino Hotel in Hancock County, general manager John Ferrucci said he saw pent up demand among guests when the doors reopened May 21. “People hadn’t been able to come here for nine and a half weeks so they were looking for a chance to get out of the house and come here to see us and they did,” he said, as reported by Mississippi Business Journal. Things have leveled off a bit, but he said business is “still very good” in the casino as well as the hotel, which has been full on weekends. That’s in spite of fewer casino games available due to social distancing rules and restrictions on restaurant service. 

Silver Slipper owner Full House Resorts said in a press release that even with limitations set out by the Mississippi Gaming Commission, total casino win increased 12.3 percent despite a 15.9 percent decrease in guest counts.

Ferrucci saw another positive aspect since the reopening: “We’re seeing a lot of new faces, folks who were coming through this part of the world maybe staying on coast for a few days and had a chance to stop by and see us. So that’s been encouraging.”

Silver Slipper and the other casinos share one major obstacle during the pandemic, according to the general manager, and it’s staffing, especially in housekeeping and environmental services. “We have the same problem everybody else does, that the unemployment benefits are so rich that it’s tough to get people to return to work. But we’re getting by with what we can. We’re outsourcing some of the things we can’t staff personally and we’re getting it done.” 

Ferrucci said he expects business at Silver Slipper during the month of July to “stay strong,” with August continuing to be strong depending on back to school schedules.

Beau Rivage in Biloxi reopened to the public on June 1 and officials say the response has been “extremely positive.” Of the casino resort’s more than 1,800 slot machines, 925 are available to guests. Beau Rivage has 82 table games and currently has 50 of those games open. “We are doing better than projected and numbers demonstrate a pent-up demand, as well as confidence in our health and safety protocols, said Travis Lunn, Beau Rivage president and COO, Mississippi Business Journal reports.

In addition to following all health and safety regulations, Beau Rivage implemented MGM Resorts’ Seven-Point Safety Plan, which is a multi-layered set of protocols and procedures designed in conjunction with medical and scientific experts, according to the company. Following Mississippi Gaming Commission regulations, the property is being reopened in phases. “Entertainment and some of the other amenities will lag behind in part because some entertainers themselves have postponed tours until next year,” Lunn said.

In addition to the regional drive market, Beau Rivage flies guests in from all over the country on scheduled charter service. Lunn said Beau Rivage’s charter air service and all-inclusive vacation packages will resume July 19.

In the Tunica market, where the convention business has been halted temporarily, the six casino reopenings have been a bright spot. Webster Franklin, president and CEO of the Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau, said: “We’ve been very pleased not only with the number of visitors to our six casino properties since reopening but also with the average customer spend that has been higher than pre-pandemic spending. That’s a great sign for the Tunica economy and will go a long way in assisting the overall Mississippi economic turnaround.”

The majority of Tunica visitors come from Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and Alabama, he said. “The largest number of visitors can be attributed to those four states but our market far exceeds these states with visitors having easy access to the market via Interstate 40 and Interstate 55.”

“Once we get entertainment and sportsbooks reopened, we will begin to see another increase that will be good for the overall market,” Franklin said.