Mississippi casino celebrates 10th anniversary
March 16, 2009 - 4:49 pm
Depending upon which analyst is doing the talking, any number of MGM Mirage casinos could be on the market as the company digs itself out of a financial hole.
But that didn’t stop the employees of Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss., from celebrating the resort’s 10th birthday.
The 1,740-room hotel-casino was built by Steve Wynn at a cost of $800 million and opened March 16, 1999. MGM Mirage acquired the hotel-casino in 2000 as part of its $6.4 billion buyout of Mirage Resorts.
Beau Rivage is Mississippi’s largest casino and the state’s tallest building at 32 stories. The casino is the biggest employer along the Gulf Coast with 3,800 workers. A decade after opening, more than 500 workers remain from the original opening night crew.
Beau Rivage was shuttered in August 2005 following Hurricane Katrina. On the storm’s one-year anniversary, Beau Rivage reopened following a $550 million renovation.