Isle of Capri Relocates and Expands

It seems that Harrison County, Mississippi will indeed be getting a casino in the near future.  Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. has been talking about establishing a casino in this particular region of Mississippi for quite some time now.  The casino operator confirmed plans to pursue the development of a casino resort in western Harrison County. 

Isle of Capri have only just began the early stages of establishing a casino, but they have gotten the ball rolling with serious momentum.  They are only at the beginning of the approval process.  The land they have entered into a leasing agreement for was, at one point in time, approved by the Mississippi Gaming Commission for development of another proposed casino.

In a released statement, president and chief operating officer of Isle of Capri Casinos, Tim Hinkley, said, “While the project is in the early planning stages, we are extremely excited about its potential.  This casino resort would be a first-class development for the people of the Gulf Coast.”

The casino plans are only in the preliminary stages.  The firm has not yet achieved all of the vital stages yet, such as acquiring licenses, approvals, and permits. 

Back in November of 2005, Isle of Capri had the right idea when they announced plans to move the company headquarters from Biloxi, Mississippi to Creve Coeur, Missouri.  Unfortunately, they acted a little too late as hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma damaged their headquarters.  Five of the company’s casinos were also hit during the successive storms. 

The price tag on relocating the Isle of Capri Casino will cost the casino operators roughly $10 million.  In spite of that, as of January 2006, Isle of Capri intends to proceed with their plan of relocating almost 150 of their corporate positions.  The move is still scheduled to begin this summer. 

An economist from the Regional Chamber and Growth Association estimated that the economic impact generated by the move will bring about $36.8 million dollars each year to the region.

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