Larry Gregory, the outgoing executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, recently said that the industry must evolve if it is going to remain competitive. Gregory is expected to leave his office within a few months and he told those who would take over for him that the local market faces new competition from online gambling and other local jurisdictions.
Casino gambling was brought to Mississippi to bring more revenue and an invigorated economy to one of the poorest states in America. At the time, it worked. People came to Mississippi to gamble, visiting one of their 30 coastal and riverboat casinos. Now, however, things are different. It’s easier for people to play casino games without coming to Mississippi.
“Every state has gaming now,” he said. That means people have “options in their own backyards.” 48 American states offer some form of gambling and many of them are expending to add more casinos or to add more games to existing casinos. In addition, people can now log onto their own computer and play at an online casino from home.
Because of that competition, Gregory says that “Mississippi has got to be creative.” He doesn’t think adding more casinos or regulating online gambling is the answer, because it still wouldn’t help lure out-of-state people who have gambling back home. If people won’t come to Mississippi just to play at a casino, he recommends turning the casino industry into a full tourist destination. That means adding theme parks, convention centers and family-friendly activities. He said that the state has to get creative and “bring it up to a tier one destination.”
Gregory has been with the Mississippi Gaming Commission since 1995 and has been executive director since 2001. The state was hit hard by the recession and recent flooding, and though some industry insiders say that the casinos are rebounding, 2010 saw a disappointing drop from $2.46 billion in revenue to $2.38 billion.
Tags: Mississippi gambling
