First Land-Based Casino in Mississippi To Open This November
General manager John Ferrucci recently confirmed that on Thursday November 16th, the $80 million Silver Slipper Casino will be opening its doors to gamblers, offering an old Vegas blend with contemporary stylings.
Since the state allowed gambling to come ashore, The Silver Slipper will be the first land-based casino built from the ground up on the Gulf Coast.
From a barrel vault ceiling detailed with gold-leaf rosettes hang eight feet wide Crystal chandeliers over the table games to wooden beams bowed like ribs and copper carved like flames, the buffet features a more casual motif. The buffet has a 1,000-pound smoker.
The entertainment bar features 11-foot television screens that drop down for football games and other sporting events.
The casino includes 26 table games, nine poker tables and 1,003 coinless slots and employs more than 600 people. The Casino will have 20 times odds on craps bets offer.
Earlier this year, Ferrucci's 84-year-old aunt, Josephine Crawford, won $10 million, the biggest jackpot in New Jersey history, on a nickel machine in Atlantic City. She will then lend the place a little good luck by being the first person to play a slot machine.
Supervising the final details for the opening lies in the hands of Paul Alanis, the chairman of Silver Slipper Gaming, and business partner Loren Ostrow. Considering the population shifts after Hurricane Katrina, they decided to increase the investment in the venture. "The casino is only a 21-minute drive from Slidell, La," Alanis said.
According to Ferrucci, their target market doubled in population. "We've sent out 600,000 pieces of mail," said Ferrucci.
2006-11-19
John O'Haver
