Mississippi Could Amend Casino Law After Biloxi Project Controversy

Mississippi lawmakers inward Jesse Jackson are considering lawmaking that would service the state’s rules on how unexampled casinos along the Gulf Coast are approved.

Senate Bill 2780 was introduced before this month past quadruplet Republican state Senators and 1 Democrat. The amount seeks to amend the Magnolia State Gaming Control Act to modify the coating mental process for young gambling casino projects inwards Biloxi and other Gulf towns.

Following Hurricane Katrina inwards 2005, which caused often equipment casualty to Gulf casinos, country lawmakers allowed casinos to rebuild inland, so long as the gaming floors remained 800 feet from their archetype barges. For a young cassino on the Gulf, a proposed gaming space must live within 800 feet of the mingy high-water line.

Last year, Biloxi’s local governance contracted a common soldier keep company to construct a $3 jillion pier close the crossway of Veterans Avenue and Beach Boulevard (US Highway 90). The cast gave the solid — RW Development, controlled past businessman Ray Wooldridge — access to attribute that’s within 800 feet of the signify high-water line. That’s vital to Wooldridge, who has for years been trying to unafraid res publica favourable reception to establish a cassino resort.

Wooldridge owns the Big Play Entertainment Center simply inland from where the dock will be built. He wants to replace the colonnade and amusement installation with a gambling casino resort.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch sued Biloxi and Rex Harrison County for issuing the wharf take without approval from the state. The Mississippi River Supreme Margaret Court ruled against Fitch and concluded that the county possessed the authorization to O.K. the contrive without the developer holding a commonwealth Tidelands lease.

Casino Licensing Overhaul

SB 2780 would vary the cognitive process for a Gulf casino developer to authorisation that all applicants first of all obtain a Tidelands take from the state. The MS administration owns the state’s tidelands — lands that are covered and uncovered day-after-day past water as a termination of tides.

The legislating would require casino developers to obtain a tidelands rent through the secretary of state’s office and follow required to pay one-year rent. The end of the mensurate is to presumably cross thwart future casino developments next the controversial RW Development approval.

After RW secured get at to belongings within the 800-foot tight high-water line, the Mississippi Gaming Commission inward Jan lent situation favourable reception for a casino development.

Now more than ever, we want to restore a uniform regulatory surroundings to keep the sand beach and encourage further investiture and improvements inward the Coast cassino market,” measure patronize Sen. David Blount (D-Hinds) told the Sun Herald.

Blount said he worked with Biloxi’s electric current casinos inwards authoring the bill.

The lawmaking seeks to pass water Wooldridge’s gambling casino dreams costly, as SB 2780 would additionally amend the requirements for a new gambling casino to include a minimum of 300 hotel rooms, a 40,000-square-foot casino space, and an amenity “unique to the licensee’s marketplace to encourage economical evolution and further tourism.” SB 2780 has been directed to the Senate Gaming Committee for initial review.

Wooldridge thinks the Gulf casinos are simply afraid of unexampled competition.

Wooldridge Backstory

Wooldridge sold his modular piece of furniture accompany Space Master International inwards 1999 for $270 million. He used parting of the proceeds — $56 one thousand thousand — to gain a 35% stakes inward the NBA Queen City Hornets.

Wooldridge was instrumental inward relocating the Hornets to New Orleans, which happened inwards 2002. Wooldridge sold his stake in the Pelicans organisation inward 2004 for $65 million.

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