September 15

In Mississippi, with Ivan bearing down on them, the state Gaming Commission ordered all 12 coast casinos to close their doors to many gamblers at noon Tuesday.

Leigh Ann Wilkins, a spokesperson for the state Gaming Commission, announced that casino workers had until midnight last night to complete the properties for readiness and get out. Securing the properties was said to be no easy task.

Today, weather forecasts predict that Ivan could possibly hit land during the late evening or early morning hours of Thursday somewhere between Alabama and Louisiana. This particular area has not been effected by a direct hurricane hit since Opal in 1995.

The larger city of Biloxi that lies right on the coast in Mississippi, is home to just about all of the twelve casinos closed. Mayor A.J. Holloway, says that local officials must deal not only with some 55,000 residents in the direct area, but they must also deal with at least that amount of gamblers and tourists that are said to be in the area on any given day.

Because Mississippi law requires casinos to be built over water, the casinos are built on large barges, and are essentially the first land to be hit by such weather. Some casinos have sustained water damages from tropical storms in the past.

To close the casinos, employees had to do such tasks as removing coins from change machines, slot machines, and bill changers. Gaming Commission agents and auditors were said to also be helping with the casino closings.