Margaritaville Resort Biloxi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Margaritaville Resort Biloxi |
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| Former names | Casino Magic Biloxi |
| General information | |
| Location | Biloxi, Mississippi |
| Address | 195 Beach Boulevard |
| Opened | June 5, 1993 (as Casino Magic) June 23, 2016 (as Margaritaville) |
| Closed | August 28, 2005 (as Casino Magic) |
| Owner | Cono Caranna |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 373 |
The Margaritaville Resort Biloxi is a fun resort hotel located in Biloxi, right on the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast. Before it became Margaritaville, this place was known as Casino Magic Biloxi Casino & Hotel. It had a special casino built on a barge, which is like a floating building. Sadly, a huge storm called Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 and badly damaged the casino.
Today, the resort has a big hotel with 373 rooms. It sits on a large piece of land, about 10.6 acres. In the past, Casino Magic was part of a busy area called "Casino Row," alongside other big casinos like the Isle of Capri Biloxi and Grand Casino Biloxi.
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History of the Resort
Casino Magic Opens
In 1993, a company called Casino Magic Corp. decided to open a second casino in Biloxi. They already had a casino in another Gulf Coast town. Their new casino in Biloxi was a three-story building that floated on the water. It opened on June 5, 1993, and cost about $55 million to build.
Later that year, the casino got even bigger. It grew to have 55,000 square feet of gaming space. This included 1,160 slot machines and 69 table games.
Building a Hotel
At first, Casino Magic Biloxi didn't have its own hotel. Rules said they needed to build one or spend a lot of money on land. They met this rule by building a hotel at their other casino in Bay St. Louis. The Biloxi casino mostly attracted people who came for just one day.
In 1994, a $9-million parking garage was built. There were plans to add a $15-million hotel on top of it. But the company wasn't sure because it was very expensive. Finally, in 1996, they decided to go ahead with the hotel. It was part of a $22-million plan that also included a new look for the building and a restaurant.
The 378-room hotel opened on May 1, 1998. The company hoped this hotel would bring in more visitors who wanted to stay overnight.
New Owners and New Ideas
In 1998, a company called Hollywood Park, Inc. (which later became Pinnacle Entertainment) bought Casino Magic. Pinnacle then sold off some other casinos to focus on Casino Magic Biloxi. They had big plans, including building more parking garages. They even thought about adding another 300-room hotel. This new hotel might have been built with famous singer Jimmy Buffett and his Margaritaville brand. However, these plans were put on hold until 2006.
Hurricane Katrina's Impact
Casino Magic had plans for what to do if a hurricane hit. They wanted to move their casino barges to a safer spot in the Back Bay. But local leaders said no, because they worried the barges could cause damage. Instead, Casino Magic put in a strong system to hold the barges in place. They also got a special barge that could be sunk to help block big waves.
In 1998, Hurricane Georges, a strong storm, caused $2.5 million in damage to Casino Magic.
Then, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina was heading their way. The state told all coastal casinos to close on August 28. The storm hit the next day. The huge storm surge picked up the Casino Magic barge and moved it 400 feet from where it was supposed to be. It even destroyed a pawn shop across the street. Parts of the hotel building were also badly damaged.
After the storm, Pinnacle Entertainment first said they would rebuild the casino. But later, they decided to leave the Biloxi area. They gave Casino Magic and $25 million to Harrah's Entertainment. In return, Pinnacle got a hotel and two riverboat casinos in Louisiana that were also damaged by a hurricane.
Margaritaville is Born
In 2007, Harrah's Entertainment teamed up with Jimmy Buffett. They planned to build a huge $700-million Margaritaville Casino Resort. This new resort would use the old Casino Magic hotel tower. But construction stopped in 2008 because of tough economic times. Harrah's also faced financial problems.
In 2011, Jimmy Buffett announced new plans for a different Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant in Biloxi. This meant his project with Harrah's was over. The city then said the old Casino Magic hotel tower was in bad shape and needed to be fixed or torn down.
After the new Margaritaville Casino closed in 2014, a developer named Cono Caranna had a new idea. He announced plans to build a Margaritaville Resort on the old Casino Magic site. This new resort would be family-friendly and would not have a casino. The Margaritaville Resort Biloxi officially opened on June 23, 2016.
Images for kids
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The Margaritaville Resort Biloxi today.
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The Casino Magic hotel after Hurricane Katrina.
