Casino closes as Tunica market declines

Sam’s Town Casino in Tunica is closing after over 30 years.

What was once one of the country’s largest casino markets is now down to five operating in the area with the closure of its largest casino. The Tunica market has been declining for years, largely from competition in neighboring states and other gambling options becoming available. Harrah’s Tunica, which was previously the largest casino in the market, closed in 2014. 

A majority of Mississippi casinos are now located along the Coast and developers are looking to build more there. Gambling became legal along the Mississippi River and the Coast in 1990. It has since grown to an over $2-billion industry according to the American Gaming Association. Mississippi’s 28 casino properties employ around 37,000 people and provide tax revenue to the state and cities they are in. 

Nationally, in-person gambling still brings in more revenue. However, the online gambling sector is rapidly growing. In Mississippi, only in-person or on-site sports betting in a casino is legal despite attempts at legalization of mobile sports betting and studies showing students are finding workarounds to place bets online.

Entergy CEO answers data center questions

We’ve heard from Mississippians recently about their concerns over three large data centers being built in Mississippi.

A major concern is potential electricity rate hikes from the power-hungry centers. Other areas across the country have seen rate increases attributed to data centers.

Last week Mississippi Today sat down for a Q&A with Haley Fisackerly, CEO of Entergy, about the impact of the data centers. He said Mississippi learned lessons from other states before it landed its first data centers, and that they will not cause electric bills to spike in Mississippi. He said rates were already likely to increase in coming years as power companies upgrade antiquated infrastructure, and having large new companies helping foot the bill will lower costs to consumers for new plants.

“First of all, rates were already going up,” Fisackerly said. “The investments were going up. Inflation is driving all of our materials up. Natural gas costs have been higher. Now those are dollar-for-dollar patch throughs that we don’t make profits off of. But that trajectory we were showing is being lowered. So there’s still going to be rates going up.  Everybody’s rates are going up. 

“… Rates are not going to be as high as they otherwise would’ve been.”

Read the full Q&A here.

You can reach me at [email protected] to share your thoughts.

Times recognizes Mayflower Cafe, Duffs still richest Mississippians, other news

• The New York Times named Mayflower Cafe one of the 50 best restaurants in the country. The historic downtown Jackson restaurant may not be the only Mississippi restaurant getting attention. The Michelin Guide is releasing an American South edition that will cover six states, including Mississippi. 
• Soybeans are Mississippi’s top row crop but soybean farmers face growing uncertainty in the midst of continuing trade wars. China is the largest soybean buyer but has bought less and less from the U.S. after the U.S. implemented new tariffs in 2019. So far, China has not placed any orders here this year.
• The Duff brothers are among the 400 richest people in the United States and the only billionaires in Mississippi. The brothers have been on the list since 2019. Tommy Duff has been in the news recently as he considers a run for the governor’s office in 2027.
• As local residents call for more environmental protections, AVAIO announced last week that it had begun work on its Brandon data center. 
• The Foundation for the Mid South announced over $500,000 in grants to support workforce development in Mississippi. According to the foundation, the investment is intended to help grow job opportunities and strengthen local economies. Mississippi Today was one of the grantees.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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