Gaming revenue drops 24 percent; other news and notes

Biloxi’s casino market had its slowest month in more than two years in September, with revenue nearly 24 percent off.

In figures released by the mayor’s office today, the Biloxi casino market reported gross gaming revenue of $63.6 million for September, the lowest figure since May of 2006. The revenue was down 23.1 percent from $82.7 million in August and 26.2 percent below September a year ago.

”Obviously, Hurricane Gustav hitting on Sept. 1 had an impact, but I think the real story here is the economy,” said Mayor A.J. Holloway. “It’s catching up on us. This is something I kind of anticipated. Las Vegas and Atlantic City have been seeing this for months, so it was just a matter of time before it reached us.

”From the city’s standpoint, we’re going to have to continue to monitor this closely, since gaming revenue funds about a third of our annual operating budget.”

To see the calendar month revenue figures for Biloxi market, click here.

News and notes

Council agenda: The Biloxi City Council will meet Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 at City Hall. To see the agenda and available resolutions, click here.

Lighthouse a winner: The Automobile License Plate Collector’s Association today named Mississippi’s tag as the Best New Plate of 2007. An award for the tag, which depicts the Biloxi Lighthouse, was presented this afternoon to the Mississippi State Tax Commission. Each year, the 4,000-member collectors choose the Best New Plate from tags issued in the United States and Canada. For background on the state’s Lighthouse tag, click here.