Hurricane Gustav hits casinos

2008-09-01 14:04:57

Hurricane Gustav has already had a noticeable effect on casinos in the southern states, despite not yet hitting the US mainland.

The tropical storm, which is expected to land on the Louisiana coastline sometime this week, has led to the car park at the IP Casino in east Biloxi being almost completely deserted, SunHerald.com reports.

Labor Day weekend is traditionally one of the busiest days for casinos, which highlights how a hurricane can affect gaming business even if it does not physically damage gambling properties.

The casino industry in the southern states was devastated by Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

Biloxi was hit particularly badly, with the IP Casino among the resorts forced to close for several months for repairs.

Other casinos which were affected in this way include Boomtown, Beau Rivage and the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Meanwhile, Copa Casino, which was situated on an old cruise ship, was completely destroyed by the storm.