BILOXI, Miss. -- The 10-year-old gaming barge at the Isle of Capri will be replaced by a new $90 million casino that will have more gaming space and several new amenities.
"Biloxi is a competitive market," said Lori Hutzler, director of corporate communications.
"We want to provide our players with the best experience, and that means bringing in a new gaming facility," said Hutzler, who added that the present barge is in good condition. "This is all about product upgrade and improvement."
The announcement about the new casino comes before details of design and the building schedule have been decided.
The new barge will complement a new parking garage and a $79 million hotel expansion, which will be complete next spring. While the size of the mooring space will limit the barge's footprint, the amount of gaming space will be increased, either by adding floors or by changing the layout of the present space, said Hutzler.
Isle of Capri Casinos Inc., which opened its first casino in Biloxi in 1992, now operates 16 casinos in 14 locations.
Replacing the existing casino barge will require the approval of several regulatory and governing bodies.
Timothy M. Hinkley, Isle of Capri Casinos president and chief operating officer, said, "The addition of this new casino facility continues the evolution of the company's first property, which opened in 1992 and pioneered gaming in the South."
