Harrah's Gulf Coast facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Harrah's Gulf Coast |
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| Location | Biloxi, Mississippi |
| Address | 265 Beach Boulevard |
| Opening date | January 21, 1994 |
| No. of rooms | 495 |
| Total gaming space | 35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2) |
| Notable restaurants | LB's Steakhouse |
| Casino type | Land-based |
| Owner | Vici Properties |
| Operating license holder | Caesars Entertainment |
| Previous names | Grand Casino Biloxi |
Harrah's Gulf Coast is a fun place with a casino and hotel in Biloxi, Mississippi. It is owned by a company called Vici Properties. Another company, Caesars Entertainment, runs the daily operations.
This building took the place of an older one called Grand Casino Biloxi. The original Grand Casino Biloxi was sadly destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Before the hurricane, it was a very large place. It had a casino area of about 106,000 square feet. There were also two hotels with 975 rooms for guests. It even had a big meeting space of 42,000 square feet.
Today, Harrah's Gulf Coast has many games. You can find about 800 slot machines there. There are also 35 different table games to play.
History of Harrah's Gulf Coast
Before 2005, this casino was known as Grand Casino Biloxi. It was part of Grand Casinos and later Park Place Entertainment. After some changes, Harrah's Entertainment took over. They planned to change the casino's name to Horseshoe.
However, these plans stopped when Hurricane Katrina hit. The storm caused a lot of damage in Biloxi. The casino floor was on a special floating platform called a barge. Hurricane Katrina was so strong that it swept this barge far inland. It moved almost 500 feet across Beach Boulevard!
On May 21, 2006, crews carefully took down the hotel building. This left a clear space for Harrah's to rebuild.
Rebuilding After Hurricane Katrina
After the hurricane, the company announced their plans. They wanted to reopen the place in the summer of 2006. The first part would have a 35,000-square-foot casino. It would also include a spa and other cool features. The parts of the building closer to the beach would take longer to finish.
On August 17, 2006, the first new section opened. It had a hotel with 495 rooms. A new casino, built on land, also opened its doors.
Future Plans and Changes
Harrah's, which later became Caesars, had big plans. They wanted to build a huge "destination resort." This meant adding many more attractions. Part of their plan was to buy 18 acres of land next door. This land used to be the Casino Magic property. In May 2007, Harrah's announced a new resort. It was going to be called the Margaritaville Casino and Resort.
But building stopped in 2008 because of money problems. In January 2011, Caesars said they would not work with the Margaritaville brand anymore. A new Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant was built later. But it was in a different spot in Biloxi. It was not connected to Caesars Entertainment.
In October 2017, the ownership of the property changed. It went to Vici Properties. Caesars Entertainment then rented the property back. This allowed Caesars to keep running the casino.
