Hurricane Isaac forces casinos to close along Mississippi and Louisiana coastline

The hotel at Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville was nearing capacity at noon Tuesday, a rare occurrence during the week. "We are not usually booked up during the week unless we have conventions, but there are no conventions this week," said Public Relations Manager Mary Barbry. There have been some cancellations, which freed up some rooms for those traveling north.
Barbry said most of latest bookings have come from the southeast part of the state, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge. "As people are driving through, they are booking," Barbry said. " As of now, there are no plans to close Paragon, even though radars show Isaac's projected path passing directly through Avoyelles Parish.
Tony Pierite, Paragon's VP of Security, said he has no safety concerns. He is confident the building is good and secure. Anything in the parking area that should be tied down has been. The golf course will be closed today and Thursday, but is scheduled to reopen Friday, depending on weather conditions.
Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder will also close its golf course, Koasati Pines, today and Thursday with plans to reopen Friday. Visitors staying at the Red Shoe RV Park and Chalets have been moved to hotel rooms for safety. Its Public Relations Manager Bryan Williams said casino personnel are watching Isaac closely, but the plan is business as usual when it comes to gaming.
At least a half-dozen casinos in Louisiana have closed, including The Treasure Chest in suburban Kenner, Boomtown New Orleans, Harrah's Casino in New Orleans, the Amelia Belle in Morgan City, The Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans and Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge. Closing a casino isn't a simple matter, said Wade Duty, executive director of the Louisiana Casino Association.

Pinnacle Entertainment had originally planned a soft opening of its L’Auberge Casino and Hotel in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, but has since pushed the final walk through to a later date. The us$ 368 million project overlooks the Mississippi river and will feature a 74,000 square foot casino, a 12-story hotel with 205 rooms, 1,500 slots and 50 table games along with a poker room. The casino still needs final regulatory approval, but there’s no word on when state personnel will be finished dealing with Isaac.

In a statement, Pinnacle President and CEO Anthony Sanfilippo said, “Our first concern is the safety of our guests and team members. We remain at the ready to open L’Auberge when it is clear [Hurricane] Isaac is no longer a threat.”

The Mississippi Gaming Commission has ordered all coast casinos to close.

Casinos along the Gulf Coast will undoubtedly take a small financial hit because of the storm, but it will most likely be limited to just a few days of lost revenue due to the closures and not costly repairs.

The category 1 hurricane made landfall early Wednesday morning on the Louisiana coast and forecasters say that the slow-moving storm will pound the coast with rain until at least Thursday, if not longer. The storm’s 80 mph winds have created a storm surge that will result in floods as high as 2 feet above ground level during high tide and will reach as far as the Florida panhandle.