The Book at Harrah's Gulf Coast is the premier spot for Biloxi sports betting thanks to Caesars Entertainment's partnership with the NFL & ESPN. Harrah's Gulf Coast Hotel & Casino In Biloxi. Updated: 10/30/20. Check out this article, 10 Things to do in Biloxi, Mississippi For First Time Visitors.

Casino at Harrah's Gulf Coast: Craps - See 741 traveler reviews, 50 candid photos, and great deals for Biloxi, MS, at Tripadvisor. Located on beautiful Gulf coast of the Mississippi. Address: 280 Beach Blvd. Biloxi, MS 39530. PROPERTY INFORMATION. Located in the heart of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Harrah’s Gulf Coast Casino, Hotel & Spa is an ideal destination, where you can escape to exciting gaming, fine dining, a championship Jack Nicklaus golf course and the luxury of a full-service spa. The Mississippi Gaming Commission ordered that casinos within Mississippi, including Harrah’s Gulf Coast, suspend gaming operations effective at midnight on March 17, 2020. The decision was made out of concern for public health. To date, there have not been any reported cases of COVID-19 at Harrah’s Gulf Coast.

Harrah's Gulf Coast is a casino and hotel in Biloxi, Mississippi, owned by Vici Properties and operated by Caesars Entertainment.

This facility replaces the former Grand Casino Biloxi, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. At the time, the casino offered a 106,000-square-foot (9,800 m²) casino, two hotels with 975 rooms, and a 42,000-square-foot (3,900 m²) convention center.

Currently, the casino features around 800 slot machines and 35 table games.^[2]

History[edit]

Prior to 2005 this casino was a Grand Casinos and Park Place Entertainment property. After the ownership change to Harrah's Entertainment it was announced that this casino was being converted to the Horseshoe brand. But these plans were put on hold when Biloxi and the Gulf Coast were hit by Hurricane Katrina. The storm destroyed the barge on which the casino floor was located; the storm surge swept the barge from the shoreline all the way across Beach Boulevard, nearly 500 feet (150 m) inward. On May 21, 2006, demolition crews imploded the beach-side hotel structure, leaving Harrah's with a clean slate for rebuilding.

After Katrina, the company announced that they will be re-opening the facility during Summer 2006, with a 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m²) casino, a spa, and other amenities, but the facilities south of Highway 90 would take several years to complete. On August 17, 2006, the first phase of the rebuilding opened with a 495-room hotel and a new land-based casino.

The long-term plan for this property had been to construct what Harrah's (now renamed back to Caesars) called 'a destination resort.' Part of the expansion plans revolved around Caesars' purchase of the 18 acres (73,000 m²) that comprised the neighboring Casino Magic property. In May 2007, Harrah's announced the Margaritaville Casino and Resort would be built on the site.^[3]

However, construction of that expansion ceased in 2008 due to economic concerns, and in January 2011, Caesars officials announced the termination of the agreement with Jimmy Buffett and his Margaritaville brand. A new Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant, not affiliated with Caesars Entertainment, was to be constructed at a different location in Biloxi.^[4]

In October 2017, ownership of the property was transferred to Vici Properties as part of a corporate spin-off, and it was leased back to Caesars Entertainment.^[5][6]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Casino provides posh apartments for guests'. Press-Register. Mobile, AL. January 18, 1994 – via NewsBank.
2. ^'Biloxi Slots - Best Slot Machines in Biloxi'. Harrah's Gulf Coast.
3. ^'Harrah's Entertainment and Jimmy Buffett Unveil Plans for New Margaritaville Casino and Resort in Biloxi' (Press release). Harrah's Entertainment. 2007-05-17. Archived from the original on 2005-09-24.
4. ^'New Margaritaville in the works'Archived 2011-01-14 at the Wayback Machine, Sun Herald, January 13, 2011
5. ^'Vici Properties Inc., completes spin-off from Caesars Entertainment Operating Company' (Press release). Vici Properties. October 6, 2017 – via NewsBank.
6. ^Form 424B4: Prospectus (Report). Vici Properties. February 2, 2018. pp. F-54 – via EDGAR.

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 30°23′35″N88°51′57″W / 30.393015°N 88.865866°W

While Mississippi is a booming state where gambling is concerned, and has the third highest gambling revenues of any state in the country, only behind Nevada and New Jersey, they have some curious gambling laws here.

Mississippi is very gambling friendly, and accept all comers, provided the casinos are over water. This goes back to the old days of riverboat gambling, where gambling was seen as less unpleasant if it occurred on a riverboat and not on dry land.

Mississippi certainly isn’t the only state that saw gambling differently if on water. It’s not hard to figure why this ended up being the case, for instance if a gambling riverboat traveled up and down the Mississippi River for instance, it often wasn’t even clear what state they were in, in cases where the river flows through the border between states.

As well, these riverboats would often sail up and down the rivers and may just be passing through. Given that gambling is regulated by individual states, it just wasn’t practical to bar gambling on them. So they received special treatment.

This twist in the law allowed for the building of many casinos on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, floating on barges. The law wasn’t updated, so these casino were exposed to the weather, and one day Hurricane Katrina came calling, and practically levelled the industry.

Many casinos were destroyed, including the Grand Casino Biloxi, which ended up being carried 500 feet inland and across the street by the surge. It had to be demolished. Fortunately for the state, who collects billions of dollars in tax revenue each year from these casinos, owners decided to rebuild, on barges again, and Caesar’s Entertainment decided to replace the Grand Casino with a new one, Harrah’s Gulf Coast, which was opened in 2006.

Harrah’s Gulf Coast isn’t as large as the old Grand Casino, the casino itself is only about a third of the size, but this is perhaps as big as Caesar’s wanted to go given that another hurricane may come one day. There’s also speculation that one day soon the state may finally change the law and allow for inland casinos.

Caesar’s Entertainment also made plans to develop the property next door, where the Casino Magic Biloxi stood before it was destroyed, and they purchased the land to be used to build a Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant to be incorporated within the Harrah’s Gulf Coast property. They ditched these plans, although the casino did end up being rebuilt, but separately, then closed down, and is set to open again soon.

Harrah’s Gulf Coast is one of eight casinos that currently operate in the small city of Biloxi, which provides for a lot of competition for guests and ensures that great deals are available.

The Harrah’s Gulf Coast Resort

The hotel here recently underwent a $14 million renovation, and the building is only 10 years old, so it’s not that it really needed it, but the owners were keen to upgrade the property.

Rooms here start at $59 a night, and include among other amenities a complimentary refrigerator and a safety deposit box, with a microwave being available for an extra $10 a night. Those with pets can upgrade to pet friendly double queen room for $114 per night.

There are various other room selections available. Suites run at $209 a night for 700 square feet, a separate seating area, a wet bar, and a marble bathroom with a Jacuzzi.

There are only 4 restaurants here, although one is not limited to just these and can sample all of the restaurants located nearby, not only in other casinos but in the city of Biloxi as well, but that’s not the plan of Harrah’s and they do offer some good food to keep their guests on location for both their meals and their gambling.

The feature restaurant here is the upscale Magnolia House by Kelly English, the award winning Memphis based chef who oversees the menu here. English won the award for Best New Chef from Food and Wine Magazine.

They claim to have raised the culinary standard of the Mississippi Gulf Coast with this restaurant, and specialize in dishes from Southern Louisiana prepared with the freshest ingredients.

Flavors Buffet offers a wide selection of all you can eat, focusing on American and Asian cuisine. The Steak and Shake offers diners a taste of classic Americana with the juiciest steak burgers and the best hand mixed milkshakes in the area.

The Corner Café offers coffee and quick bites, with breakfast, as well as salads and sandwiches, and is open 24 hours a day.

Mix and Mingle provides the bar services here, which is both an indoor and outdoor lounge, where you can either soak up the sun or mix inside. This is a beautifully designed bar and a great place to relax.

Harrah's Gulf Coast Casino Biloxi Mississippi Restaurants

Harrah’s Gulf Coast also offers live entertainment at the Casino Stage Bar, as well as outdoor acts on the 10.5 acre Great Lawn. There’s also a pool here, a spa, a gift shop, and lots of things to do in the area that they are happy to assist you with arranging.

Harrah's Gulf Coast Casino Biloxi Mississippi Casinos

The Casino At Harrah’s Gulf Coast

The casino here is definitely on the smaller side as far as casinos go, with 35,000 square feet of gaming space available. Casino gaming here runs around the clock, and is run by one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, and players can be assured of the high standards that Harrah’s and their parent company Caesar’s are well known for.

Players also get to take advantage of Caesar’s Total Rewards frequent player program, and these rewards can be collected and redeemed at any of their many properties.

They do pack in a good amount of slot machines here, 775 in total, which is more than enough to keep slot players busy and happy. Traditional reel slots, newer video slots, and video poker machines are all available, including progressive jackpot games, with stakes ranging from 1 cent to $100.

The casino also rolls out 35 table games, where you can experience all the fun of Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Pai Gow, Mini Baccarat, and Three Card Poker. There is also a separate Asian gaming room, specifically built to please their Asian players.

Harrah’s Gulf Coast is a great way to experience the Mississippi Gulf Coast area and they offer all the first class service that this hotel casino resort brand is famous for.

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