Choctaws Reopens Golden Moon Casino After 6 Years

The 10,000 strong Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians make a huge percent of their revenue from the gambling industry. The tribe which runs the Pearl River Resort Casino recently announced that they were re-opening the Golden Moon Casino which has been closed for the last 6 years.

The Golden Moon Casino has gone through a complete renovation estimated to be around $70 million and has now been turned into a world class casino that is expected to provide fierce competition to other casinos in the region. The casino was shutdown partially in 2009 and then completely in 2010 as the recession severely affected the casino’s revenue.

The newly renovated casino has a massive gaming floor that has over 1,000 progressive slot machines and a poker room that has 14 poker tables. The casino also has a central bar and lounge along with a number of popular table games. The casino will initially be staffed with employees from the Pearl River casino but officials confirm that around 100 casino employees such as table game operators and hostesses will be hired specifically for the Golden Moon.

The tribe usually employs around 2,400 employees and hires close to 3,000 during summer as the extra staff is required to manage the gold courses and water park which are used extensively during summer. The casino hires over 40% of its employees from the tribe ensuring it creates jobs for its people and helps to raise the standard of living for tribal members.

In a statement, CEO Holly Gagnon of Pearl River Resort said

We really did need to stay competitive and relevant with the gaming facilities that have opened up both in south Mississippi on the coast, as well as in Alabama

Gagnon also stated that the new casino was renovated based on the feedback provided by its old customers. He said

A lot of this had to do with feedback from our customers; we went to other markets and asked why they weren’t playing with us anymore. Our current players were adamant they needed to see the Golden Moon back because they missed it so much

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians will be happy with the reopening of the Golden Moon casino but realize they have a lot of work to do to make the casino profitable and pay off the debt incurred in the renovation process.