Gaming Commission approves one casino site, defers decision on second

The Mississippi Gaming Commission gave site approval to one casino project on the Coast, while the other was deferred.

Representatives for the Tullis Garden Hotel and Casino project was approved after the commission determined it met all statutory requirements. But the approval was contingent upon resolution of whether a Tidelands lease with the Secretary of State was required.

The second site approval that came before the Commission was for Biloxi Capital LLC at the former Tivoli Hotel site in Biloxi.

Secretary of State Michael Watson filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in Harrison County claiming a tidelands lease is required for the casino to be a legal site.

Because the Gaming Commission had not yet had time to review the lawsuit, the commissioners decided to defer a decision on the Biloxi Capital request for site approval.

The next meeting of the Gaming Commission is January 16 in Biloxi.