BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -
Eugenia Wylie landed a job as a casino dealer at the Isle of Capri 20 years ago. Back then, her work space was on one of two riverboats the Isle brought to Biloxi, the Emerald Lady and the Diamond Lady. "They were terribly, terribly crowded," Wylie remembered on Good Morning Mississippi as she talked about the 20th anniversary of her property, and Mississippi's casino industry.
What started on those two riverboats is now a $19 billion industry. More than 11,000 people currently work either at the 11 coast casinos, or the hotels attached to them.
"It's actually been amazing," said Isle general manager Doug Shipley. "We're very, very excited about today."
In the last 20 years, 20 different companies have gambled on Harrison and Hancock Counties. In August, 1992, the Isle of Capri, the President and the Biloxi Belle all opened on riverboats. By the next year, buildings floating on barges became the rule.
And then, after Hurricane Katrina wiped out coast casinos, state lawmakers turned dockside gambling into land based gambling. A dozen casino are currently open. And in virtually every case, they have gambling devices on land. "It went from those two little riverboats to land based resort," noted Shipley. "Amazing transformation."
In the first quarter of 2012, an estimated 3.9 million patrons visited the coast casinos. Nearly a third of those visitors came from Mississippi. Another 2.2 million gamblers came from Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Texas. "I think it's a testament to the area," Shipley said on Good Morning Mississippi.
When Eugenia Wylie looks at her casino floor, and marvels at how much it's changed, and the industry has changed in 20 years, she swells up with pride. "I had no clue that it would be anything like this," said Wylie. "I couldn't wrap my mind around the concept like that."
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