TUNICA RESORTS — All Mississippi casinos are now open. Not long ago, many were surrounded by water.
When the Mississippi River crested on May 10 at 47.8 feet here, all nine Tunica casinos had closed. Water surrounded the properties. Hollywood, Resorts and Sam’s Town appeared as islands on what was Casino Strip as the river crested and surrounded them on all sides. Parking lots were completely submerged under several feet of water and the casinos were accessible only by boat. The conditions around Bally’s, Fitz and Harrah’s were much the same. Water eventually flooded the parking lots of the casinos on Casino Center Drive — Gold Strike, Horseshoe and Tunica Roadhouse.
While the images on TV were alarming, the steps taken to safeguard the gaming facilities worked and casinos stayed dry for the most part. Cleanup efforts began as the water receded and on Wednesday, May 18, Gold Strike Casino Resort became the first casino to open its doors after the flood. Tunica Roadhouse followed a day later, and Horseshoe opened on Friday, May 20.
The following Thursday, Sam’s Town and Hollywood opened. Harrah’s opened a day later, as did Fitz. All nine casinos were open for Memorial Day weekend.
Further down river, the Isle of Capri Lula opened its doors on Friday morning, June 3. Harlow's Casino in Greenville opened soon after and now all casinos in Mississippi are open. While the casinos were closed, many employees helped in relief efforts and stayed on the payroll. Donations were also made to the Red Cross by gaming industry members to help with relief efforts in the aftermath of the flood.
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