Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Mississippi gaming revenue along the Gulf Coast reached previously unheard-of heights. However, following the historic 2021 campaign, casino earnings along the US Gulf Coast have decreased in each of the last three years.
In the meantime, the number of lawsuits against the Gulf Coast's casino resorts appears to be rising.
A visitor to the Beau Rivage last June claimed that local police and casino security had wrongfully imprisoned him. Ultimately, a federal grand jury dismissed the case.
The Golden Nugget was sued by a lady a year prior for allegedly failing to adequately protect its outdoor pool furnishings. She said she suffered head and neck injuries when a storm erupted and a gust of wind threw a big daybed cushion into the air, striking her. The casino won that case as well.
In a complaint filed in Harrison County in May of this year, a Hard Rock slots player claimed that the casino had not provided sufficient protection for him when he fell off a chair. According to the plaintiff, he was playing slots when the chair he was seated on broke, sending him crashing to the ground and injuring his arms and shoulders. The matter is still pending.
A VIP player has now filed a complaint against Hard Rock, bringing the company yet another legal battle.
Arm for Parking Garage
Lisa Paulk, the plaintiff in a case filed this week in Harrison County Circuit Court, claims she was physically hurt when a parking garage gate arm unexpectedly fell on her. According to Paulk's lawsuit, on January 12, 2024, she arrived at the Gulf Coast casino riverboat, but the VIP parking garage gate arm was not activated by her Encore Players Club rewards card, preventing her from entering.
The valet staff attempted, but failed, to assist her. Eventually, they requested their card from the driver who was waiting behind her, causing the gate arm to raise. Since her daughter was now behind the wheel and had been told to drive through, the casino employees told Paulk to move rapidly behind her car. However, the gate arm fell and hit her as Paulk followed.
Parking staff at the Hard Rock admitted that the parking gate arm had been "malfunctioning for some time," according to Paulk's lawyers. Paulk is requesting damages for emotional distress as well as alleged back and neck ailments.
Paulk's alleged injuries and neck surgery, according to Hard Rock's legal response, were more likely to be due to her prior medical issues than the gate arm event. The Biloxi Sun Herald originally reported on the Hard Rock case.
Casino Tide on the Gulf Coast Reduces
Since 2021, the gross gaming revenue (GGR) of Mississippi's coastal gaming market—which comprises the 12 casinos along the Gulf—has been declining. Together, the 12 locations have 6,633 hotel rooms, 450 table games, and 11,500 slot machines. As of May 31, 9,833 individuals were employed by the resorts.
The Gulf casinos recorded $1.608 billion in GGR in 2021. GGR in 2022 was $1.6 billion, unchanged from the previous year.
Revenue from casinos along the Mississippi Gulf Coast decreased to $1.582 billion last year and $1.589 billion in 2023. GGR is down 0.5% over the first five months of 2025 compared to 2024, which is more than $2.77 million.