Mississippi Casino Gaming Drives Economic Growth, Supports Local Communities, New Report Finds

American Gaming Association Hosts Get to Know Gaming event in Biloxi, MS

New research released today at a Get to Know Gaming event at the IP Casino Resort Spa in Biloxi, Mississippi, shows the Mississippi casino gaming industry strengthens communities by providing good jobs, supporting small businesses, and partnering with local charities.

The American Gaming Association’s (AGA) newest report, Casinos & Communities: Mississippi, provides an up-close look at the gaming industry’s economic and social contributions to communities in the Magnolia State. This new research pairs gaming’s economic impact data—more than 37,000 jobs supported and $1.6 billion in wages generated annually across Mississippi—with firsthand perspectives from local nonprofit leaders, business owners, and elected officials.

“Mississippi’s gaming industry has been a true leader nationally, demonstrating to the rest of the country how a policy framework focused on growth and opportunity can take an industry to new heights,” said Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “I’m amazed at how this industry, which began with dockside casinos, has expanded into an economic juggernaut for this state, turning around communities and supporting its neighbors at every turn.”

AGA’s Get to Know Gaming campaign engages local leaders in a discussion about the critical role gaming plays as a community partner. Wednesday’s Get to Know Gaming roundtable panel included Richard Bennett, state representative, Mississippi Legislature; Allen Godfrey, executive director, Mississippi Gaming Commission; Mike Alise, owner of Gulf Coast Produce; John McFarland, executive director, southeast Mississippi chapter of the American Red Cross; Duncan McKenzie, general manager, IP Casino Resort Spa; and Miller. Larry Gregory, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming and Hospitality Association, moderated the panel. You can view a recording of this morning’s discussion here.