Gulfport Gaming Development LLC would like to build a casino along a harbor in the Gulfport area where the company has a 60 year lease. The developers have asked the Mississippi Gaming Commission for site approval on the project and are now awaiting approval for the chosen site.

Executive Director of the Gaming Commission, Allen Godfrey, stated that the developers have sent in paperwork and the commission is in the process of making sure the group is in compliance before moving forward. According to the SunHerald, Godfrey is unsure as to if the application will be placed on the agenda for the meeting set for Jackson on the 21st of July. The agenda for this meeting will not be released until next week.

In the past, a group called Rotate Black tried for many years to be able to develop a casino in the very same harbor in which Gulfport Gaming Development LLC is trying to create a gaming venue. Rotate Black was unable to obtain the financial means in which to create the venue.

Gulfport Gaming Development has partnered with Robert Lubin, an attorney of Virginia, and Kevin Preston, a casino-company owner in Kentucky, on the project, both of whom will have to return to Mississippi and gain permission from the Gaming Commission in order to start the construction of the casino.

In June, Lubin spoke with the City Council and stated that the developers are already marketing overseas and there is interest in the project in Asia. The developers of the project have stated they will be able to meet the requirements of the Gaming Commission and use 10 acres of land to build a casino resort in the harbor at a cost of $140 million.

The Mississippi Gaming Commission have strict regulations in place when it comes to creating a casino within the state. Developers must create a hotel with at least 300 guest rooms that will have a rating of three-diamond or higher. A casino floor must be created with 40,000 square feet or more of space as well as a non-gambling amenity added that is unique and will help to grow the facility.