Attorneys for Gulfport Gaming Development LLC, have asked the Mississippi Gaming Commission to delay site approval in the name of the development company for a $140 million casino on property at the Gulfport harbor where it has a 60-year lease.

Earlier this month, the developers asked the Gaming Commission for site approval on the project and were awaiting the determination, but according to Allen Godfrey, the executive director of the commission, the attorney for developers of the Gulfport harbor property requested the delay due to an issue with the application, as reported by the Sun Herald.

For several years, a group called Rotate Black tried to develop a Hemingway-themed casino resort in the same harbor and did receive site approval, but wasn’t able to obtain financing for the venue. Site approval for the property remains in the name of Rotate Black after a meeting on Thursday in Jackson of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, which deferred the action. Godfrey said, “They said they’ll be back next month,” according to the news outlet.

Once the Gaming Commission grants site approval, the developers will again have to obtain permission from the Commission to begin construction on the casino after they have secured the resources necessary to fund the project. The Mississippi Gaming Commission has strict regulations (pdf) in place regarding casino development in the state. Developers wishing to build a new casino in the state must create a hotel with at least 300 guest rooms, and a three-diamond rating or higher, and the casino’s gambling floor must be 40,000 square feet or more and include a unique, non-gambling related amenity that will aid in the venue’s growth.