CHOCTAW, Mississippi -- With the economy continuing its strangle hold on America and the casino industry severely in recession for over two years, positive news is hard to come by and thus it nice to report that the light at the end of the tunnel in Choctaw is not a train but an active and aggressive program of development.
Miko (Chief) Beasley Denson, in his column in the News, credits the administration and leadership at Pearl River Resort for streamlining operations early, and pursuit of increased efficiency that allowed continuing payments against debt that and thus keep stabilization a reality.
Now two programs are moving forward quickly to take the Resort to the next level: the conversion of the Golden Moon Casino floor into the Golden Moon event center and the construction of the satellite Bok Homa casino on tribal land in Jones County near Hattiesburg.
The new event center that will seat over 4,500 is expected to be complete by new Year's eve and will be the largest event center in the region. It will serve not only to bring in top shelf entertainment but as a meeting and convention center, all expected to draw more customers to the Resort.
The Miko also reported that revenues and profits continue to get better and are exceeding last year's numbers for the same period. In addition, he says, market share has increased ten months in a row.
"Although the nation's economy is not out of the woods yet, I can say without hesitation that the way we have navigated through these rough times has been a success," said Miko Denson. "The transformation of the Golden Moon, the turn around at the Resort in general, and our new Bok Homa Casino represent hope for the future."
"A good deal of the turn around is owed to Resort employees whose dedication went a long way toward making this happen," he concluded.