Gulfport will witness the return of gaming with a sensational new view – the
Island View Casino Resort. Gulfside Casino Partnership acquired the Grand
Casino Gulfport property from Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. in March, 2006.
Extensive construction for Phase I is currently underway and the doors are
set to open September, 2006 to unveil a grander, significantly more spacious
and state-of-the-art resort. Phase II plans have been approved and will
include even more resort amenities, including an expanded casino floor and
celebrated fine dining; all of which are to be revealed in March, 2007. Rick
Carter, one of the co-owners, said the name was inspired by the view. “I was
standing in one of the hotel rooms, looking out over the Gulf and saw Cat
Island. I thought it was the most beautiful view of the Gulf,” said Carter.
Cat Island, a national park visible from the property site, is a haven for
wildlife and has been added to Gulf Island National Seashore National Park.
Rick Carter and Terry Green will come back bigger and better to fulfill
their commitment to Gulfport and the Gulf Coast Community.
The Island View Casino Resort will offer first-class amenities including
over 500 newly designed hotel rooms and an impressive, 83,000 square foot
gaming floor. With a diverse range of restaurant choices, including an 8,200
sq ft, 350 seat buffet with live action food stations, coupled with the
coast’s most innovative new dessert bar, Island View will have something to
suit almost anyone’s tastes.
Upon completion of Phase I, Island View Casino Resort will employ
approximately 800 staff members and will provide an additional 500 positions
at the grand opening. “The support we have received in Gulfport enabled us
to operate a successful casino in the past, and because of it, we will
continue to give our support back to this community,” says Rick Carter.
Island View Casino Resort is a property deeply rooted in the community and
its landscape and will provide much needed employment for area residents,
along with a commitment to local businesses for goods and services.
Gulfside Casino Partnership is the company of long-time friends and natives
of Gulfport, Mississippi, Rick Carter and Terry Green. The partnership began
in 1993 with the opening of one of the first casinos in southern
Mississippi, Copa Casino. The Copa Casino, a local casino based in Gulfport,
was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.