Resorts Casino Tunica
34°48′56″N 90°25′03″W / 34.815477°N 90.417579°W
| Resorts Casino Tunica | |
|---|---|
| Location | Penn National Gaming |
| Previous names | Southern Belle Casino Harrah's Tunica Mardi Gras Casino |
| Renovated in | 1996, 2005, 2014 |
| Website | resortstunica |
Resorts Casino Tunica, formerly Southern Belle Casino and Harrah's Tunica Mardi Gras Casino, was a 201-room
The resort closed in June 2019 due to declining revenue.
History
Southern Belle Casino (1994-1995)
The casino was developed by Belle Casinos, a company that owned the Biloxi Belle casino on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and was owned primarily by restaurateur Jim Hasslocher.[1][2] Construction was budgeted for $30 million, but ran up to $67 million.[3] The Southern Belle Casino opened for a two-day test run on February 19, 1994, and then opened permanently on February 24.[4][5] It was designed to resemble a Southern mansion, and had facilities including 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of gaming space, three restaurants, and a 1,500-seat event venue, the River Bend Event Center.[4][6]
The Southern Belle closed on August 31, 1994, as its owners stated that the Tunica market had become overly saturated, with ten casinos in operation.
Harrah's Tunica Mardi Gras Casino (1996-2004)
Harrah's spent $49 million to add a 200-room hotel and renovate the casino with a New Orleans theme, with three different areas patterned after the French Quarter, the Garden District, and Mardi Gras.[12][13] The casino reopened on April 8, 1996 as Harrah's Tunica Mardi Gras Casino.[14] The hotel opened two months later.[15] Harrah's continued to operate two casinos in the area for some time, and bought out Belz's stake in the properties in April 1997.[16][17] A month later, it closed the original Harrah's Tunica to concentrate on the Mardi Gras casino.[18]
Resorts Casino (2005-2019)
In 2004, Harrah's agreed to buy
On November 9, 2011, Foundation Gaming Group of Gulfport, Mississippi assumed the management of Resorts Casino and Hotel along with Bally's Casino Tunica. In 2013, management responsibility changed.
In May 2017, Resorts and Bally's Tunica were sold in a joint deal, with Gaming & Leisure Properties acquiring their real estate assets for a total of $83 million, and Penn National purchasing the operating assets for a total of $44 million.[20][21]
Penn National announced in April 2019 that Resorts Tunica would close on June 30 because of declining revenues, which were attributed to the expansion of casino gaming in Arkansas.[22] In the summer of 2021, both the hotel and casino were demolished. All that is left of this resort is a grassed field.
Dining
Resorts Casino Tunica featured three dining venues:
- 61 Grille Steakhouse
- EATs
- Delta Blues Buffet
Entertainment
The casino featured a casino stage bar featuring live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays. Resorts Casino was adjacent to River Bend Links golf course.
References
- ^ "Biloxi Belle reorganization". Reno Gazette-Journal. October 4, 1993 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Laurel Campbell (January 21, 1994). "Lady Luck cleared but agrees to pay for probe". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, TN – via NewsBank.
- ^ Louise Taylor (October 20, 1994). "Biloxi Belle barely afloat". The Sun Herald. Biloxi, MS – via NewsBank.
- ^ a b Sarah C. Campbell (February 25, 1994). "Casino's reopening delayed one day". The Commercial Appeal – via NewsBank.
- ^ "State's 20th casino taking bets". Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, MS. February 21, 1994 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Diana Murphy (March 11, 1994). "'Fighting Irish' to box on St. Patrick's Day". The Times. Shreveport, LA – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Laurel Campbell (September 1, 1994). "Southern Belle third casino to close at Tunica this year". The Commercial Appeal – via NewsBank.
- ^ Louise Taylor (September 1, 1994). "Court oversees Belle finances". The Sun Herald. Biloxi, MS – via NewsBank.
- ^ "Troubled Biloxi Belle closes and 'sister' shut in Tunica set for sale". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, TN. January 4, 1995 – via NewsBank.
- ^ "Harrah's action". The Star-Ledger. Newark, NJ. Bloomberg. May 14, 1995 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Form 10-K: Annual Report (Report). Harrah's Entertainment. March 6, 1996. p. 6 – via EDGAR.
- ^ Laurel Campbell (April 9, 1996). "Harrah's 2nd Tunica casino opens sporting New Orleans attitude". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, TN – via NewsBank.
- ^ Laurel Campbell (March 30, 1996). "Mardi Gras Casino to open April 8". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, TN – via NewsBank.
- ^ "New Tunica casino". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. April 11, 1996 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Form 10-K405: Annual Report (Report). Harrah's Entertainment. March 11, 1997. p. 6 – via EDGAR.
- ^ Laurel Campbell (April 17, 1997). "Belz ends partnership with Harrah's Tunica casinos". The Commercial Appeal – via NewsBank.
- ^ "Harrah's closing one casino located at Tunica". The Greenwood Commonwealth. Greenwood, MS. AP. May 4, 1997 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sheraton parent puts Tunica casino on market". Las Vegas Sun. June 3, 1997 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Schiffer, Rudi (2005-05-03). "Heard It On the River". Casino City Times/Jackpot Magazine.
- ^ Form 10-Q: Quarterly Report (Report). Gaming & Leisure Properties. May 3, 2017. p. 8 – via EDGAR.
- ^ Form 10-Q: Quarterly Report (Report). Penn National Gaming. May 3, 2017. p. 23 – via EDGAR.
- ^ "Penn National Gaming to close Resorts Casino Tunica". WMC-TV. April 16, 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-16.
