BILOXI, Miss. and
TUNICA, Miss., Aug. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- History was
made today in Mississippi, as two
Magnolia State resorts, Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in
Biloxi and Gold Strike Casino
Resort in Tunica, held
simultaneous events to usher in the era of legal sports
wagering.
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The resorts, part of the MGM Resorts International portfolio
(NYSE: MGM), both accepted their first sports wagers at
12:00 p.m. CT and now share in the
distinction of taking the first sports wagers in Mississippi under newly created state
regulations permitting licensed casino operators to establish legal
sports books.
"MGM Resorts is proud to once again assume the leadership
position in the hospitality industry," said Jim Murren, chairman and chief executive officer
of MGM Resorts International. "Sports wagering is a rapidly
growing, exciting new entertainment opportunity for our company. We
were proud to take the first sports wager in Atlantic City in June and today the first
legal sports wager in two locations in Mississippi."
As a part of the MGM Resorts International portfolio, Beau
Rivage and Gold Strike launch sports wagering operations with the
strong support of MGM's more than 25 years of sports wagering
operations experience in Nevada,
where the company's resorts combine to write more than 4 million
sports wagers each year with an annual handle of more than
$1 billion.
"This is a banner day for Beau Rivage and all of Mississippi and we are proud to lead the way on the
Mississippi Gulf Coast," said Bill
Boasberg, president & chief operating officer of Beau
Rivage Resort & Casino. "Here in the heart of the South, home
to some of the most ardent sports fans in the world, we open a
whole new era of sports entertainment and we do it on the eve of
football season. What could be better?"
At 12:00 p.m. CT, a group of local
dignitaries and legendary sports figures stepped up to the newly
constructed sports wagering windows in the Beau Rivage Casino in
Biloxi for the honor of placing
the first legal sports wagers in Mississippi history. Among them, Willis McGahee, former Miami Hurricanes Running
Back and 2-time NFL Pro Bowler; Robert
Royal, former Louisiana State Tigers All-American Tight End
and NFL star; Legendary Oddsmaker Danny Sheridan; Mississippi
Gaming and Hospitality Association Exec. Dir. and Former
Mississippi Gaming Commission Exec. Dir. Larry Gregory.
Meanwhile, 350 miles to the north in Tunica, a similar group approached the new
sports betting windows at Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica to place bets. Among those given the
honor of placing a First Bet at Gold Strike were Stanley
Morgan, UT Knoxville Wide Receiver
and 4-time NFL Pro Bowler; Former Mississippi Gaming Commission
Chairman Nolen Canon; Mississippi
Senate Tourism Committee Chair Lydia
Chassaniol; Mississippi House Gaming Committee Vice-Chair
Rep. Cedric Burnett.
At the stroke of noon, the bets were officially entered and
ticketed and the Mississippi gaming
industry entered a new era of sports entertainment.
The date of these historic first Mississippi sports wagers coincides with the
26th anniversary of the first casino bet made in Mississippi's modern casino age – a legendary dice
roll at the Isle of Capri in Biloxi on August 1,
1992.
David Tsai, president and chief
operating officer of Gold Strike Casino Resort, heralded the
arrival of sports betting with his customers and employees in
Tunica.
"This is a defining moment in Gold Strike's nearly 24-year
history," said Mr. Tsai. "Sports fans have long waited for this day
and we are proud to be the first to offer our customers this
exciting new opportunity to engage with their favorite sports and
teams. We are honored to be a part of Mississippi gaming history."
Both Mississippi resort executives
anticipate the new offering will generate new interest, excitement,
and economic benefits for their resorts and communities. That
prediction will prove prophetic should Southern sports fans respond
in the same manner as their Northern counterparts.
Customer reaction to the introduction of legal sports wagering
in New Jersey has exceeded
expectations. New Jersey regulators report that sports betters
placed more than $16 million in
wagers in just the first two weeks sports bets were legal in the
state. The new offering boosted Borgata's overall gaming revenues
to a record month of more than $65
million, the best June performance in the resorts' 15-year
history.
Beau Rivage and Gold Strike Sports Books are operating out of
provisional sports betting windows due to the rapid arrival of
legal sports wagering in Mississippi, just two months after the US
Supreme Court overturned the federal law restricting sports
betting. Both resorts are in the final stages of design for future
sports book offerings. Details and timelines of those enhancements
will be announced at a future date.
About Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
Located on
the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Biloxi, MGM Resorts International's Beau
Rivage Resort & Casino was named one of 2017's Top 10 "South's
Best Resorts" by Southern Living. The AAA Four Diamond resort
features 1,740 elegantly appointed guest rooms and suites, 10
restaurants, an 85,000-square-foot gaming area, a 1,550-seat
theatre, an upscale shopping promenade, a world-class spa &
salon and Fallen Oak, a Tom
Fazio-designed championship golf course. For more
information and reservations, call (888) 567-6667 or visit
www.beaurivage.com.
About Gold Strike Casino Resort
Gold Strike Casino
Resort is MGM Resorts International's 1,200-room resort located 20
minutes south of Memphis in
Tunica, Mississippi. The resort
includes deluxe rooms and suites, 30,000-square-foot conference and
convention center, casino, high-limit gaming area, Chicago
Steakhouse and Buffet Americana. Gold Strike also features a
refreshing spa, the 800-seat Millennium Theatre, Atrium Café and
50,000 square feet of gaming space with 63 table games and more
than 1,100 slot machines. For reservations or information, call
888-245-7529 or visit www.goldstrike.com.
About MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts
International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment
company with national and international locations featuring
best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and
conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment
experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and
retail offerings. MGM Resorts creates immersive, iconic experiences
through its suite of Las
Vegas-inspired brands. The MGM Resorts portfolio encompasses
28 unique hotel offerings including some of the most recognizable
resort brands in the industry. Expanding throughout the U.S. and
around the world, the company opened MGM Cotai in Macau in February
2018. It is also developing MGM Springfield in Massachusetts and debuting the first
international Bellagio branded hotel in Shanghai. The 78,000 global employees of MGM
Resorts are proud of their company for being recognized as one of
FORTUNE® Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies®. For more
information visit us at www.mgmresorts.com.
![Legendary oddsmaker Danny Sheridan, NFL Robert Royal and NFL's Willis McGahee among first to place sports bet at Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, MS Legendary oddsmaker Danny Sheridan, NFL Robert Royal and NFL's Willis McGahee among first to place sports bet at Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, MS](https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8372951-mgm-beau-rivage-sports-book-and-bar-mississippi-first-bet/image/MGMResortsBeauRi_1533157820112-8-HR.jpg)
![MGM Resorts International Beau Rivage in Biloxi new Sports Book & Bar opens August 1, 2018 MGM Resorts International Beau Rivage in Biloxi new Sports Book & Bar opens August 1, 2018](https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8372951-mgm-beau-rivage-sports-book-and-bar-mississippi-first-bet/image/BeauRivageSportsB_1533157839111-10-HR.jpg)
![MGM Resorts International MGM Resorts International](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/690990/MGM_Resorts_International_Logo.jpg)
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SOURCE MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL