Mississippi developer continues fight for proposed Biloxi casino
A Mississippi developer is ready to renew his efforts to secure approval for a proposed casino in Biloxi.
To date, Ray Wooldridge, the man behind RW Development, has tabled three separate plans to bring a casino to Biloxi, but on each occasion, he has failed.
A well-documented legal battle that has spanned over 15 years has seen Wooldridge at loggerheads with the Mississippi Gaming Commission, but the MGC has rebuffed his plans over property control issues at the proposed site between Beach Boulevard and Veterans Avenue.
Undeterred, Wooldridge, who applied for casino site approval to be on the November agenda, will be hoping it is a different story this time as he held a call on Thursday with the Gaming Commission following a monthly meeting.
Armed with fresh ammunition in the form of a lease to provide waterfront access for Biloxi, Wooldridge will be banking on this working to placate the project’s opponents.
In 2021, Wooldridge signed a lease with the City of Biloxi to construct a pier establishing control up to the water’s edge.
As part of the terms of the five-year lease, RW Development agreed to pay a base rent of $1,000 per month, and the company rather than the city would be responsible for general upkeep of the pier.
However, the agreement stipulated that the pier couldn’t be used to house a casino.
It read: “No gaming shall be allowed on the municipal pier, nor on any vessels docked or berthed at the pier, nor on any other area of the leased premises.”
Despite transforming the property earmarked for a casino into the Big Play Entertainment center featuring family attractions, Wooldridge has always remained steadfast in his ambition, as shown by the following timeline:
- February 2017 – After applying for site approval, the plan is rejected at a public hearing.
- July 2017 – RW Development tables its second proposal for a casino site, but the MGC pans the idea once again.
- December 2020 – Mississippi Supreme Court upholds ruling on RW’s gaming site, claiming it failed to meet the requisite governing statutory and regulatory requirements.
The fight for Biloxi’s ninth casino rumbles on, but with the latest developments, Wooldridge will be hoping to pierce through the Gaming Commission’s defenses.
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