STATESIDE
with essentials like food and also provided medical care.
Jim Allen, chair of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, promised continued aid during the recovery period. Growing up at the Jersey Shore and now living in Florida, Allen is no stranger to the hazards of hurricanes. Nationwide, gaming properties have always been on the front lines of providing emergency assistance, whether it followed coastal hurricanes, western fires or Midwest tornadoes. Everyone recognizes the origins of these disasters may vary, but the response does not. To give help is the key response.
The sheer scale of these two hurricanes took me back to August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in New Orleans and throughout Mississippi. While New Orleans was under water after breaks in the protective levies allowed millions of gallons of Gulf of Mexico water to flood whole areas, Mississippi’s casino cities of Biloxi and Gulfport looked like a war zone. I thought back to my pre-Katrina visit to the region and my follow-up visit years later to report on the rebuilding. It took leadership, determination and compassion to achieve what seemed like an impossible task.
Within weeks, in September 2005, I asked then-Chairman and CEO of MGM Mirage Terry Lanni to describe the devastation at MGM’s magnificent Beau Rivage property in Biloxi. One of gaming’s great gentlemen that I’ve encountered over my 30 years, he explained the real-time destruction.
In 2005, Mississippi’s riverboat law mandated casinos be constructed on barges attached to the main building. Unlike several other gaming properties, whose barges either totally dislodged or flew over the highway, MGM’s remained connected.
Lanni conveyed his initial relief while driving toward the Beau Rivage. From a distance, all looked good, but his joy turned to horror as he got closer. While the building seemed fine, with minimal window damage, the flooding had ruined the main floors.
The Beau Rivage was constructed to withstand
a 20-foot wave, but the 24-foot wave breached the connecting wall. Water was everywhere. Lanni pledged to quickly rebuild. True to his promise, the Beau Rivage did reopen on August 29, 2006, exactly one year to the day after Katrina.
During that time, MGM paid its 3,800 employees for months and relocated others to different properties. The region’s casinos worked with lawmakers and communities to improve the entire infrastructure.
Immediately after Katrina, Mississippi’s legislators enacted legislation that eliminated casinos on the water. The new law allowed gaming floors to move onto land no more than 800 feet from the water’s edge.
The U.S. casino industry has learned a lot in almost 20 years. Better communications, technology and construction codes and processes can mitigate damage from both Mother Nature and humanity. However, some events are beyond our control.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton are sure to impact casino revenues. However, it’s still good to know that when disaster strikes, casino companies and their thousands of employees will
continue to either pitch in to help or receive aid themselves when necessary.
Sharon Harris
Sharon has worked in the casino and coin- operated amusement industries since the 1980s. In the early 1990s, Sharon transferred her public relations and journalism skills to the gaming industry. She wrote her first feature for Casino International predecessor EUROSLOT magazine in 1994.
As Associate Editor, North America for Casino International, Sharon has chronicled the explosive growth of U.S. gaming and reported on its most significant changes. She has traveled across America to participate in dozens of industry events and has interviewed
hundreds of gaming operators,
executives and suppliers.
BMM qp strip CI
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