The floating barges proved disastrous when Katrina struck. In fiscal year 2005, the state collected $99 million in tax revenue from the casinos. The results were awkward and, some contend, ridiculous: Many of the gambling barges connected seamlessly with on-land hotels, and visitors were often unsure whether they were on the water or on land.ĭespite the restrictions, the casinos became the region’s economic powerhouse, employing 17,000 workers. So in 1990, the Legislature allowed casinos to open only on barges floating on the Mississippi River or in the Gulf of Mexico. Supporters wanted their historically poor state to benefit from jobs and tax revenue that casinos could provide, but Christian conservatives fretted about the wages of sin. Gambling has long been a contentious issue in Mississippi, and the debate over its legalization remains fierce.
