Play in Paradise! Margarita Casinos are a unique mix of gaming excitement and our own laid back style. BILOXI, MS (WLOX) - It’s prime waterfront real estate and a developer has a vision to resurrect a site on Biloxi’s Back Bay where the old Margaritaville Casino once sat.

1. Margaritaville Casino Biloxi Ms
2. Margaritaville Casino Biloxi Grand Opening
3. Margaritaville Resort Casino Biloxi
4. Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant Biloxi Biloxi Ms

The Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant is a closed casino and restaurant in Biloxi, Mississippi in the United States. The 68,000-square-foot (6,300 m²) property is in the 'Back Bay' area of Biloxi.^[1] It opened on May 22, 2012 and closed on September 15, 2014. Its brand was licensed from Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville.

History[edit]

Jimmy Buffett, a native of nearby Pascagoula, tried to bring the Margaritaville brand to Biloxi as early as 2000, when discussions were held on building a hotel and amphitheater on 12 acres of beachfront land between the Casino Magic and Grand Casino.^[2]

Following Hurricane Katrina, Grand Casinos founder Tom Brosig came out of retirement and began looking for land to develop a casino, citing a desire to help rebuild the community. He settled on the Back Bay site where the Margaritaville Casino would ultimately open. According to Brosig, he nearly reached an agreement to use the Margaritaville brand in 2006.^[3]

Buffett instead joined with Harrah's Entertainment in 2007 to begin construction on the $700-million Margaritaville Casino Resort on the site of the Casino Magic and Grand Casino,^[4] which had both been destroyed by Katrina.^[5] Buffett was partly motivated by a desire to help the region's economic recovery from Katrina.^[4] Construction was suspended, however, in 2008, due to the global financial crisis and Harrah's near-bankruptcy after being taken private.^[6]

Meanwhile, Brosig continued his efforts on the Back Bay site, but had difficulty raising financing due to the financial crisis and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He was eventually able to assemble a total investment of $63 million, with '20 or 22' equity investors. A 20-year agreement was reached for the Margaritaville brand.^[3]

Buffett and Brosig unveiled their plans in 2011, describing a 68,000 sq ft (6,300 m²), $48-million Margaritaville Casino at the former East Harrison County Industrial Park, without the involvement of Harrah's (now Caesars Entertainment).^[7] Groundbreaking was expected in April 2011 with a construction time of 9 months.^[8]

In March 2011, plans for the location won fast track approval from the city of Biloxi. On April 7, Buffett appeared before the Mississippi Gaming Commission and explained why the casino should be approved. Commissioners listened and then approved the project.^[9]

On May 22, 2012, the Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant opened to the public, featuring 820 slot machines, 18 table games, two levels of dining decks, and a marina with waterside entertainment, food, and drinks.^[10]

In June 2013, Margaritaville Biloxi became the first casino in Mississippi gaming history to offer outdoor gaming which includes three blackjack tables at LandShark Landing and Marina.

In December 2013, Doug Shipley, President & CEO, announced that Margaritaville Biloxi would break ground on a new hotel facility in the spring with anticipated completion a year later. The new hotel would feature 250 rooms, including 170 deluxe guest rooms and 80 two- and three-bedroom suites. In addition, they would offer timeshare units through a major international partner.

In July 2014, the casino announced that it would likely close by September, because of an unresolved dispute with the landlord that was blocking the financing needed to build the hotel.^[11] On September 15, 2014, Margaritaville Biloxi officially closed.^[12]

The property was listed for sale in 2015 with an asking price of $18 million.^[13]

In 2019, a new group of developers filed plans to reopen the casino as the Biloxi House at Point Cadet. Their $200-million project would add a 300-room hotel and various other amenities to the site.^[14]

References[edit]

1. ^'Mississippi regulators certify Jimmy Buffet's casino'. Las Vegas Sun. AP. May 17, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-17.
2. ^Palermo, Dave (July 30, 2000). 'Glut quiets casino boom: Plans begin to gather dust'. The Sun Herald. Gulfport, MS: via NewsBank.(subscription required)
3. ^ ^ab'Q&A with Tom Brosig'. Global Gaming Business. July 27, 2012. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
4. ^ ^abPerez, Mary (August 14, 2007). 'Margaritaville breaks ground'. The Sun Herald. Gulfport, MS: via NewsBank. Retrieved 2012-05-23.(subscription required)
5. ^Mohr, Holbrook (December 8, 2005). 'Gulf casinos end worker aid'. San Diego Union-Tribune. AP. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
6. ^Burnham, Maria (June 26, 2010). 'Hopes fade for quick restart on Harrah's casino'. The Tribune. Greeley, CO. AP. Retrieved 2012-05-23.^{[permanent dead link]}
7. ^Perez, Mary (January 13, 2011). 'New Margaritaville in the works'. The Sun Herald. Gulfport, MS: via NewsBank. Retrieved 2012-05-23.(subscription required)
8. ^'Casino on hold at least a month'Archived 2011-03-22 at the Wayback Machine, Sun Herald, March 22, 2011
9. ^Buffett gets okay to open Margaritaville in Biloxi, retrieved 2011-04-07
10. ^Perez, Mary (May 22, 2012). 'Margaritaville Biloxi opens with a concert heard 'round the country'. The Sun Herald. Gulfport, MS. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-23.
11. ^Mary Perez (July 21, 2014). 'Margaritaville Casino to close'. The Sun Herald. Biloxi, MS. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-21.
12. ^Mary Perez (September 16, 2014). 'Margaritaville Casino Biloxi closes Monday, files for bankruptcy Tuesday'. The Sun Herald. Biloxi, MS. Archived from the original on September 18, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-18.
13. ^Mary Perez (October 7, 2015). 'Piece of paradise: Former Margaritaville Casino for sale'. The Sun Herald. Biloxi, MS. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
14. ^Mary Perez (March 22, 2019). ''Nothing's going to be the same.' A $200M plan for former Margaritaville site in East Biloxi'. The Sun Herald. Biloxi, MS. Retrieved 2019-03-27.

Coordinates: 30°24′06″N88°51′35″W / 30.40167°N 88.85972°W

— PERMANENTLY CLOSED —

Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant, Biloxi MS

Margaritaville was beckoning. Even with mild winter temperatures in south, I still needed a shot of paradise to stay warm. A few friends and I traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi for a chance to win it all and escape to the Caribbean.

Well….. at least we made it to Margaritaville!

Entering the casino from the parking lot and you’ll be greeted with a large sign pointing to paradise. Don’t look on the other side of the tunnel…. that sign points to a place you don’t want to go.

We open the doors and found a bit of barren space. It’s the ground floor and the attractions are on the next level. We’re greeted by the Margaritaville guide stationed close to the escalator who let’s us know we can’t take our “outside drinks” upstairs. I’ve got a full to-go-cup of iced tea. Yes, iced tea, it’s only 10am….. despite the Margaritaville clocks on the wall stating “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere”.

No problem, this gives us time to look around the lobby. We enjoyed a small art exhibit and the best Jimmy Buffett themed mural ever seen on a vehicle. This VW van is ready for a trip to St. Somewhere.

Finished my “outside drink”, headed up the escalator and behold the Margaritaville restaurant in front of me and the sounds of a casino behind me.

First order of business is to sign up for the Margaritaville Casino reward card. We stepped in line, signed up and headed over to the activation kiosk for our first gambling experience. We’re offered opportunities to enter several drawings and a spin at the “free play” reward. Our spins gave us $5 free play to get our gambling action started.

Casino

Like all casinos, no pictures are allowed on the floor, so I can only offer up information.

Margaritaville is a relatively small casino, but well laid out with plenty of maneuvering room between the slots and tables. Approximately 20 table games are offered for Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and Poker.

All the typical slot machines are offered. Several interactive machines with the big comfy chairs dotted the casino floor. Large banks of interactive slots with big screens above were plentiful. Our interactive gambling was the most fun, but the pay off was little. Wait.. the pay off was none, since we gave more than we received at those games.

Since we’re not big gamblers, we made our way to the penny slots.

Our favorite? Paradise Fishing. We went fishing, betting 30 to 60 pennies at a time. If we bet 30 pennies, the consistent pay off was 10-20 pennies. If we bet 60 pennies, the consistent pay off was 20-30 pennies. You can see where this is going….

We kept sinking the pennies for the chance to grab that joy stick and hook a big fish. We hooked a lot of fish. Be careful not to get overly enthusiastic about reeling in the fish. I did get a warning once to ease up on the joy stick. Small to medium size fish were reeled into our virtual boat, but we just couldn’t hook one of the big boys (bigger $$). Even though we weren’t staying ahead of our betting, the fishing fun was literally worth every penny.

Our luck was much better when we played the regular (non-interactive) slots and came away with $340! We won our loot on the Buffalo and Wolf themed penny machines. Not a bad days work and a whole lot of fun!

Feeding Frenzy Buffet

Hungry, we walked over to the Feeding Frenzy Buffet (yes, Buffet – not Buffett). This is not your typical casino buffet. Smaller and inexpensive at $10. A fair number of folks were in line, so I squeezed into the restaurant area for a little reconnaissance. Small salad bar with all the main ingredients. Side dishes of comfort food – the macaroni and cheese looked appealing. Main dishes looked to be salmon and roast beef. It’s limited and didn’t have the paradise atmosphere we were looking for today. Although, a bargain lunch, we decided to eat at the Margaritaville Cafe.

Margaritaville Cafe

Now this looks like a spot to stay awhile.

The entire bar and restaurant ceiling is a giant tropical mural with a large map of the Gulf of Mexico coastline and islands. Floor to ceiling windows line the outside wall with a fantastic view of the inlet and bridge. First place we spotted walking into the restaurant was the large tiki themed bar, plenty of bar stools and tables with an island vibe.

Margaritaville Casino Biloxi Ms

A great selection of draft beers, perfect for this Biloxi location.

Stepping down into the restaurant, you can choose your atmosphere for dining. For an offshore feel, take a seat in one of the fishing boat booths, complete with radar arches and miniature tuna towers. Window tables with a water view and on warmer days, outside tables for a gulf coast feel.

The menu resembles other Margaritaville Cafe offerings. For lunch we ordered a few different things. I tried the fish and chips, which were good, but my table mates testified that the Cheeseburger in Paradise was excellent. With the large portions we had no room for desert. Hopefully next time!

It was too cool for us to sit outside on this January day. The outside deck is definitely the place to eat. The deck offers four-top tables with Landshark umbrellas to shade the sun.

If you are looking for a relaxing break from gambling, order your favorite cocktail and relax on the deck. There’s a separate sitting area with oversized comfy couches and chairs. The view is gorgeous from here. Overlooking Biloxi Bay, Margaritaville’s marina, another marina full of shrimp boats and the Beach Blvd / Bienville Blvd. bridge.

Margaritaville Casino Biloxi Grand Opening

Below, along the water’s edge is a huge beach bar area aptly named Landshark Landing. Only open during the spring and summer months, the brightly colored tables and Adirondack chairs looked inviting. No boats in the marina while we were there, but I can imagine it’s bustling come spring time.

Margaritaville Resort Casino Biloxi

Leaving the casino, the last sign was a reminder that our paradise escape was over. The large sign taunted us, pointing out that we were headed back into the realm of reality.

Margaritaville Casino & Restaurant Biloxi Biloxi Ms

We didn’t hit it big, but we left Margaritaville with full stomach and a little more in our wallets than when we started. We had fun and found the perfect spot to look out over the bay and enjoy the Gulf Coast. I’d say it was a great day in Paradise.