Whether on a riverboat atop the Mighty Mississippi or in the smoky dimness of a mining camp saloon, a lucky draw could turn a broken man into a winner. In the days of the frontier west, poker was king with the mustachioed likes of Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holliday, 'Canada' Bill Jones, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and hundreds of others.
In the old west towns of Deadwood, Dodge City, Tombstone, and Virginia City, gamblers played with their back to the wall and their guns at their sides, as dealers dealt games with names such as Chuck-A-Luck, Three Card Monte, High Dice, and Faro, by far the favorite in the wild west saloons.
- Riverboat Gambling and Entertainment Along the Mississippi River Riverboat casinos are a popular form of entertainment all along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. As this mighty river flows across many different state lines, you can find these historic paddleboat gaming hubs in Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
- Mississippi slot machine casino gambling consists of 27 riverboat casinos and three American Indian tribal casinos. International cruise ships with onboard casinos also depart from ports in Biloxi and Gulfport. Minimum and maximum payout return limits have been legally set by the state.
The exact origin of poker is unknown but many have speculated that it originated from the 16th-century Persian card game called As Nas. Played with a 25 card deck containing five suits, the rules were similar to today's Five Card Stud. Others are of the opinion that it was invented by the Chinese in 900 A.D. In all likelihood, the game derived from elements of various gambling diversions that have been around from the beginning of time.
Mississippi Casino Listings. Most people know think of the state of Mississippi when they think of riverboat gambling. It was actually the third state to legalize riverboat gambling. The casino boats must be docked and do not cruise. Most of the riverboat casinos are built on a barge so in essence they seem more like a building on land than a boat. Riverboat casino gambling in Mississippi has been in existence for centuries. It was during the times when Mississippi river was a major trade center for merchants and farmers. It became the major attraction for tourists and travelers.
Poker in the United States was first widely played in New Orleans by French settlers playing a card game that involved bluffing and betting called Poque in the early 1800s. This old poker game was similar to the 'draw poker' game we play today. New Orleans evolved as America's first gambling city as riverboat men, plantation owners and farmers avidly pursued the betting sport.
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The first American gambling casino was opened in New Orleans around 1822 by a man named John Davis. The club, open twenty-four hours a day, provided gourmet food, liquor, roulette wheels, Faro tables, poker, and other games. Davis also made certain that painted ladies were never far away. Dozens of imitators soon followed making the gaming dens the primary attraction of New Orleans. The city's status as an international port and its thriving gambling industry created a new profession, called the card 'sharper.'
Professional gamblers and cheats gathered in a waterfront area known as 'the swamp,' an area even the police were afraid to frequent, and any gambler lucky enough to win stood a good chance of losing his earnings to thieves outside of the gambling rooms and saloons.
Gambling was outlawed in the rest of the huge Louisiana territory in 1811, but New Orleans continued to enjoy the prosperity brought by gambling for more than 100 years. Though the law was passed for the entire Louisiana Purchase, it was obviously not enforced and casinos and gambling began to spread.
As commerce developed on the waterways, gambling traveled up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, then westward via covered wagons, and later on the railroad. The first written reference in the United States came from Jonathan H. Greer in 1834 when he referred to the amusement as the 'cheating game.'
Some of the first gambling dens outside of New Orleans were started on river towns that were popular with both travelers and professional gamblers. It was here that many 'sharpers' preyed on these transient people, with their pockets filled with their life savings, on the way to the new frontier. The dishonest gamblers also often ran confidence games and other con artist businesses, in order to gaff the unwary pioneers. A host of companies specialized in manufacturing and selling card cheating devices. One riverboat gambler named George Devol was so proud of his ability to slip a stacked deck into a game that he once used four of them in one poker hand, dealing four aces to each of his four opponents.
It was professional gamblers who were largely responsible for the poker boom. Considering themselves as entrepreneurs, they took advantage of America's growing obsession with gambling. Though having a high opinion of themselves, the public viewed them with disdain, considering them as contributing nothing to society. This viewpoint was often warranted in many cases, as a large number of professional gamblers often cheated in order to win. To be successful, professional gamblers had to have irresistible personalities in order to attract men to play with them. Often dressing in dandy clothes, their success depended partly on chance and partly on skill, sometimes on sleight of hand, and in the Old West, their shooting abilities. By the 1830s, citizens began to blame professional gamblers for any and every crime in the area and gambling itself began to be attacked.
James Bowie Mobile slots pay by phone bill vodafone postpaid.
It was during these riverboat gambling heydays that an interesting story occurred in 1832. On a Mississippi steamboat, four men were playing poker, three of which were professional gamblers, and the fourth, a hapless traveler from Natchez. Soon, the young naïve man had lost all his money to the rigged game. Devastated, the Natchez man planned to throw himself into the river; however, an observer prevented his suicide attempt, and then joined the card game with the 'sharps.' In the middle of a high stakes hand, the stranger caught one of the professionals cheating and pulled a knife on the gambler, yelling, 'Show your hand! If it contains more than five cards I shall kill you!' When he twisted the cheater's wrist, six cards fell to the table. Immediately, the stranger took the $70,000 pot, returning $50,000 to the Natchez man and keeping $20,000 for his trouble. Shocked, the Natchez man stuttered, 'Who the devil are you, anyway?' to which the stranger responded, 'I am James Bowie.'
Anxious citizens of these river port towns grew more and more wary of the confidence men that were multiplying so quickly. In Vicksburg, Mississippi, the citizens' rage had become so increased by 1835, five cardsharps were lynched by a vigilante group. It was soon after this that many of the gamblers moved onto the riverboats, benefiting from the transient riverboat lifestyle.
At the conclusion of the Civil War, America pushed her boundaries West, where the frontier was born of speculators, travelers, and miners. These hardy pioneers had high risk-taking characteristics, making any gambling situation a popular pastime for these rough and tumble men of the frontier. In virtually every mining camp and prairie town, a poker table could soon be found in each saloon, surrounded by prospectors, lawmen, cowboys, railroad workers, soldiers, and outlaws for a chance to tempt fortune and fate.
During the California Gold Rush of 1849 gambling houses sprouted up all over northern California, offering a wide array of not only gaming tables but also musicians and pretty women to entertain the gamblers as they played. It was at this time that dance halls began to appear and spread throughout later settlements. While these saloons usually offered games of chance, their chief attraction was dancing. The customer generally paid 75¢ to $1.00 for a ticket to dance, with the proceeds being split between the dance hall girl and the saloon owner. After the dance, the girl would steer the gentleman to the bar, where she would make an additional commission from the sale of a drink.
A popular girl would average 50 dances a night, sometimes making more a night than a working man could make in a month. Dance hall girls made enough money that it was very rare for them to double as a prostitute, in fact, many former 'soiled doves' found they could make more money as a dance hall girl.
As the Gold Rush gained momentum, San Francisco replaced New Orleans as the center for gambling in the United States. Over one hundred thriving saloons and brothels met the sailors and fortune-seeking travelers as they disembarked at the San Francisco harbor and stumbled into the infamous Barbary Coast Waterfront District.
Faro was by far the most popular and prolific game played in Old West saloons, followed by Brag, Three-card-monte, and dice games such as High-low, Chuck-a-luck, and Grand hazard. It was also about this time that gambling began to invite more diversity including Hispanics, blacks, Chinese and women in the games. Three of the more famous women gamblers of this time were Calamity Jane, Poker Alice, and Madame Mustache.
Before long, many of the Old West mining camps such as Deadwood, Leadville, and Tombstone became as well known for gunfights over card games than they did for their wealth of gold and silver ore. Professional gamblers such as Doc Holliday and Wild Bill Hickok learned early to hone their six-shooter skills at the same pace as their gambling abilities. Taking swift action upon the green cloth became part of the gamblers' code – shoot first and ask questions later.
One such occasion that clearly showed the quick and violent code was when Doc Holliday was dealing Faro to a local bully named Ed Bailey in Fort Griffin, Texas. Bailey was unimpressed with Doc's reputation and in an attempt to irritate him; he kept picking up the discards and looking at them. Peeking at the discards was strictly prohibited by the rules of Western Poker, a violation that could force the player to forfeit the pot.
Though Holliday warned Bailey twice, the bully ignored him and picked up the discards again. This time, Doc raked in the pot without showing his hand, nor saying a word. Bailey immediately brought out his pistol from under the table, but before the man could pull the trigger, Doc's lethal knife slashed the man across the stomach. With blood spilled everywhere, Bailey lay sprawled out dead across the table.
Inevitably there were liquored up miners and cowboys who would shoot up the saloons and sometimes the poker winner when they were angered by their losses. Even Wild Bill Hickok, who is mostly known for his heroics and prowess with a six-shooter, took advantage of those abilities when faced with a loss in Deadwood, South Dakota. Shortly before midnight after a night of drinking and gambling, Hickok was playing a two-handed game with a man named McDonald when the stakes began to increase with every card dealt.
When the hand was complete and the middle of the table piled high with money, McDonald showed his hand, displaying three jacks. To this, Hickok responded, 'I have a full house – aces over sixes,' then threw his hand face down upon the table. However, when McDonald picked up Hickok's hand, he exclaimed, 'I see only two aces and one six.' Wasting no time, Wild Bill drew his six-shooter with his right hand and replied, 'Here's my other six.' Then he flashed a bowie knife with his left hand, stating, 'And here's my one spot.' McDonald immediately backed down saying coolly, 'That hand is good. Take the pot.'
By the end of the 19th century, gambling had spread like wildfire through the many mining camps, multiplying as the gold and silver hunters spread across the West, searching for new strikes. It was about this time that both states and cities started to take advantage of these growing ventures by taxing gambling dens and raising money for their communities.
It was also during the late 1800s that many towns and states across the western frontier began to enact new laws against gambling. Attempting to gain new levels of respectability, the laws primarily targeted the 'professional gambler' more than gaming in general. Some types of gambling were made illegal, while limits were established on others. Initially, anti-gaming laws were weak and had little real effect on gambling, as they were difficult to enforce, establishments simply introduced new variants, and penalties were light.
Faro gambling card game about 1900.
Blackjack match the dealer house edgewater. However, the laws were gradually strengthened and ironically, Nevada was one of the first states in the West to totally make gambling illegal in 1909. Other states soon followed suit and true to the worst fears of the Puritans, gangsters combined liquor and gambling in the cities of New York, Cleveland and Chicago during the 1920s.
By the time construction on the Hoover Dam was underway in 1931, Nevada relaxed its gambling laws and casinos once more began to flourish. By 1939 there were six casinos and sixteen saloons in Las Vegas. As automobile traffic increased and people began to travel more for leisure, Las Vegas began to boom into the gambling Mecca it is today.
Over the years, poker has evolved through legitimate casinos and backroom games to its many present variations. Over the last decade several states have reintroduced gambling in limited formats and the fastest-growing gambling opportunity today doesn't even require you to leave your home, as you log onto your computer to tempt the fates. Carefully regulated by gaming laws, poker is now the most popular card game in the world.
© Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated November 2019.
'If you're playing a poker game and you look around the table and can't tell who the sucker is, it's you.' –– Paul Newman
Also See:
Introduction to Mississippi Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Mississippi slot machine casino gambling consists of 27 riverboat casinos and three American Indian tribal casinos. International cruise ships with onboard casinos also depart from ports in Biloxi and Gulfport.
Minimum and maximum payout return limits have been legally set by the state. Further, comprehensive actual payout return statistics are available by gaming machine type and state region.
This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.
Keep Reading … or Watch Instead!
Or … Listen Instead!
Subscribe to my Professor Slots podcast at Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Amazon Audible | Gaana | Stitcher | Pandora | iHeart Radio | Tune-In | SoundCloud | RadioPublic | Deezer | RSS and everywhere else you find your podcasts!
Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Mississippi*
The minimum legal gambling age in Mississippi depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 21
- Poker Rooms: 21
- Bingo: 18
- Lottery: Not available
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: Not available
Gambling in Mississippi has aided to the economy of the state and breathed new life into its tourism industry. In 1990, the Mississippi state legislature was the third U.S. state to legalize riverboat gambling.
Philadelphia casino ms. By law, Mississippi's riverboat casinos must be located on coastal waters, the Mississippi River, and in navigable waters of counties bordering the Mississippi River.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Mississippi legislature allowed the state's gulf coast casinos to rebuild on land within 800 feet of the shoreline.
Winning a jackpot of $1,200 or more in Mississippi results in a nonrefundable 3% tax of those winnings paid to the Mississippi Gaming Commission. This limit also applies to any cash prizes won in casino drawings and tournaments.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Mississippi
It is legal to own a slot machine privately in Mississippi if it is at least 25 years old.
Gaming Control Board in Mississippi
The Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) is responsible for non-tribal, commercial casinos. The gaming regulations used are from MGC but also from state law, specifically the Gaming Control Act.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians also has its Choctaw Gaming Commission for Mississippi's three tribal casinos. The gaming compacts which authorized tribal gaming in Mississippi established this gaming commission.
Casinos in Mississippi
Mississippi has 27 commercial casinos, three American Indian tribal casinos, and cruise ships sailing out of the ports of Biloxi and Gulfport to international destinations.
The largest casino in Mississippi is Island View Casino Resort with 2,700 gaming machines.
The second-largest casino is Silver Star Casino at Pearl River with 2,500 gaming machines.
Commercial Casinos in Mississippi
Mississippi's 27 riverboat casinos are:
- Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Boomtown Casino – Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- 1st Jackpot Casino Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Fitz Casino Hotel in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Gold Strike in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Golden Nugget – Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Harlow's Casino Resort in Greenville within the Northern Region located 119 miles northwest of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Harrah's Gulf Coast in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast in Bay St. Louis within the Coastal Region located 91 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Hollywood Casino Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- IP Casino Resort Spa in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Island View Casino Resort in Gulfport within the Coastal Region located 75 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Lula within the Northern Region located 59 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Lady Luck Casino Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel in Natchez within the Central Region located 103 miles southwest of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Palace Casino Resort in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Riverwalk Casino Hotel in Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Sam's Town Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Silver Slipper Casino in Bay St. Louis within the Coastal Region located 91 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Trop Casino Greenville within the Northern Region located 119 miles northwest of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Tunica Roadhouse Casino and Hotel within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- WaterView Casino & Hotel in Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
Tribal Casinos in Mississippi
Mississippi's three tribal casinos are each a property of Pearl River Casinos and Resorts, owned and operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, including:
- Bok Homa Casino in Sandersville located 93 miles southeast of Jackson.
- Golden Moon Hotel & Casino in Philadelphia located 75 miles northeast of Jackson.
- Silver Star Hotel & Casino in Philadelphia located 75 miles northeast of Jackson.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Mississippi slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Mississippi is:
- North: Tennessee Slots
- East: Alabama Slots
- South: The Gulf of Mexico
- West: Arkansas Slots and Louisiana Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Mississippi.
Our Mississippi Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Mississippi? If so, join our new Mississippi slots community on Facebook. All you'll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
There, you'll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Mississippi. Join us!
Payout Returns in Mississippi
The Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) offers monthly return statistics for commercial casinos by region of the state:
Faro was by far the most popular and prolific game played in Old West saloons, followed by Brag, Three-card-monte, and dice games such as High-low, Chuck-a-luck, and Grand hazard. It was also about this time that gambling began to invite more diversity including Hispanics, blacks, Chinese and women in the games. Three of the more famous women gamblers of this time were Calamity Jane, Poker Alice, and Madame Mustache.
Before long, many of the Old West mining camps such as Deadwood, Leadville, and Tombstone became as well known for gunfights over card games than they did for their wealth of gold and silver ore. Professional gamblers such as Doc Holliday and Wild Bill Hickok learned early to hone their six-shooter skills at the same pace as their gambling abilities. Taking swift action upon the green cloth became part of the gamblers' code – shoot first and ask questions later.
One such occasion that clearly showed the quick and violent code was when Doc Holliday was dealing Faro to a local bully named Ed Bailey in Fort Griffin, Texas. Bailey was unimpressed with Doc's reputation and in an attempt to irritate him; he kept picking up the discards and looking at them. Peeking at the discards was strictly prohibited by the rules of Western Poker, a violation that could force the player to forfeit the pot.
Though Holliday warned Bailey twice, the bully ignored him and picked up the discards again. This time, Doc raked in the pot without showing his hand, nor saying a word. Bailey immediately brought out his pistol from under the table, but before the man could pull the trigger, Doc's lethal knife slashed the man across the stomach. With blood spilled everywhere, Bailey lay sprawled out dead across the table.
Inevitably there were liquored up miners and cowboys who would shoot up the saloons and sometimes the poker winner when they were angered by their losses. Even Wild Bill Hickok, who is mostly known for his heroics and prowess with a six-shooter, took advantage of those abilities when faced with a loss in Deadwood, South Dakota. Shortly before midnight after a night of drinking and gambling, Hickok was playing a two-handed game with a man named McDonald when the stakes began to increase with every card dealt.
When the hand was complete and the middle of the table piled high with money, McDonald showed his hand, displaying three jacks. To this, Hickok responded, 'I have a full house – aces over sixes,' then threw his hand face down upon the table. However, when McDonald picked up Hickok's hand, he exclaimed, 'I see only two aces and one six.' Wasting no time, Wild Bill drew his six-shooter with his right hand and replied, 'Here's my other six.' Then he flashed a bowie knife with his left hand, stating, 'And here's my one spot.' McDonald immediately backed down saying coolly, 'That hand is good. Take the pot.'
By the end of the 19th century, gambling had spread like wildfire through the many mining camps, multiplying as the gold and silver hunters spread across the West, searching for new strikes. It was about this time that both states and cities started to take advantage of these growing ventures by taxing gambling dens and raising money for their communities.
It was also during the late 1800s that many towns and states across the western frontier began to enact new laws against gambling. Attempting to gain new levels of respectability, the laws primarily targeted the 'professional gambler' more than gaming in general. Some types of gambling were made illegal, while limits were established on others. Initially, anti-gaming laws were weak and had little real effect on gambling, as they were difficult to enforce, establishments simply introduced new variants, and penalties were light.
Faro gambling card game about 1900.
Blackjack match the dealer house edgewater. However, the laws were gradually strengthened and ironically, Nevada was one of the first states in the West to totally make gambling illegal in 1909. Other states soon followed suit and true to the worst fears of the Puritans, gangsters combined liquor and gambling in the cities of New York, Cleveland and Chicago during the 1920s.
By the time construction on the Hoover Dam was underway in 1931, Nevada relaxed its gambling laws and casinos once more began to flourish. By 1939 there were six casinos and sixteen saloons in Las Vegas. As automobile traffic increased and people began to travel more for leisure, Las Vegas began to boom into the gambling Mecca it is today.
Over the years, poker has evolved through legitimate casinos and backroom games to its many present variations. Over the last decade several states have reintroduced gambling in limited formats and the fastest-growing gambling opportunity today doesn't even require you to leave your home, as you log onto your computer to tempt the fates. Carefully regulated by gaming laws, poker is now the most popular card game in the world.
© Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated November 2019.
'If you're playing a poker game and you look around the table and can't tell who the sucker is, it's you.' –– Paul Newman
Also See:
Introduction to Mississippi Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Mississippi slot machine casino gambling consists of 27 riverboat casinos and three American Indian tribal casinos. International cruise ships with onboard casinos also depart from ports in Biloxi and Gulfport.
Minimum and maximum payout return limits have been legally set by the state. Further, comprehensive actual payout return statistics are available by gaming machine type and state region.
This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.
Keep Reading … or Watch Instead!
Or … Listen Instead!
Subscribe to my Professor Slots podcast at Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Amazon Audible | Gaana | Stitcher | Pandora | iHeart Radio | Tune-In | SoundCloud | RadioPublic | Deezer | RSS and everywhere else you find your podcasts!
Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Mississippi*
The minimum legal gambling age in Mississippi depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 21
- Poker Rooms: 21
- Bingo: 18
- Lottery: Not available
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: Not available
Gambling in Mississippi has aided to the economy of the state and breathed new life into its tourism industry. In 1990, the Mississippi state legislature was the third U.S. state to legalize riverboat gambling.
Philadelphia casino ms. By law, Mississippi's riverboat casinos must be located on coastal waters, the Mississippi River, and in navigable waters of counties bordering the Mississippi River.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Mississippi legislature allowed the state's gulf coast casinos to rebuild on land within 800 feet of the shoreline.
Winning a jackpot of $1,200 or more in Mississippi results in a nonrefundable 3% tax of those winnings paid to the Mississippi Gaming Commission. This limit also applies to any cash prizes won in casino drawings and tournaments.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Mississippi
It is legal to own a slot machine privately in Mississippi if it is at least 25 years old.
Gaming Control Board in Mississippi
The Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) is responsible for non-tribal, commercial casinos. The gaming regulations used are from MGC but also from state law, specifically the Gaming Control Act.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians also has its Choctaw Gaming Commission for Mississippi's three tribal casinos. The gaming compacts which authorized tribal gaming in Mississippi established this gaming commission.
Casinos in Mississippi
Mississippi has 27 commercial casinos, three American Indian tribal casinos, and cruise ships sailing out of the ports of Biloxi and Gulfport to international destinations.
The largest casino in Mississippi is Island View Casino Resort with 2,700 gaming machines.
The second-largest casino is Silver Star Casino at Pearl River with 2,500 gaming machines.
Commercial Casinos in Mississippi
Mississippi's 27 riverboat casinos are:
- Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Boomtown Casino – Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- 1st Jackpot Casino Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Fitz Casino Hotel in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Gold Strike in Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Golden Nugget – Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Harlow's Casino Resort in Greenville within the Northern Region located 119 miles northwest of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Harrah's Gulf Coast in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Hollywood Casino Gulf Coast in Bay St. Louis within the Coastal Region located 91 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Hollywood Casino Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- IP Casino Resort Spa in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Island View Casino Resort in Gulfport within the Coastal Region located 75 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Lula within the Northern Region located 59 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Lady Luck Casino Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel in Natchez within the Central Region located 103 miles southwest of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Palace Casino Resort in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Riverwalk Casino Hotel in Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Sam's Town Tunica within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Silver Slipper Casino in Bay St. Louis within the Coastal Region located 91 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Treasure Bay Casino and Hotel in Biloxi within the Coastal Region located 63 miles west of Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf Coast.
- Trop Casino Greenville within the Northern Region located 119 miles northwest of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
- Tunica Roadhouse Casino and Hotel within the Northern Region located 41 miles southwest of Memphis, Tennessee on the Mississippi River.
- WaterView Casino & Hotel in Vicksburg within the Central Region located 44 miles west of Jackson on the Mississippi River.
Tribal Casinos in Mississippi
Mississippi's three tribal casinos are each a property of Pearl River Casinos and Resorts, owned and operated by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, including:
- Bok Homa Casino in Sandersville located 93 miles southeast of Jackson.
- Golden Moon Hotel & Casino in Philadelphia located 75 miles northeast of Jackson.
- Silver Star Hotel & Casino in Philadelphia located 75 miles northeast of Jackson.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Mississippi slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Mississippi is:
- North: Tennessee Slots
- East: Alabama Slots
- South: The Gulf of Mexico
- West: Arkansas Slots and Louisiana Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Mississippi.
Our Mississippi Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Mississippi? If so, join our new Mississippi slots community on Facebook. All you'll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
There, you'll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Mississippi. Join us!
Payout Returns in Mississippi
The Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) offers monthly return statistics for commercial casinos by region of the state:
- Central Region, including the cities of Vicksburg and Natchez
- Northern Region, including the cities of Tunica, Greenville, and Lula
- Coastal Region, including the cities of Biloxi, Gulfport, and Bay St. Louis
The minimum and maximum theoretical payout limits are 80% and 100% according to MGC's Regulations, Part 3: Operations, Rule 12.5: Minimum Standards for Gaming Devices.
These limits apply for each wager of a gaming device. If the gaming device played is a skill-based, competition-style machine, these limits apply when playing it with optimal strategy or perfect play.
MGC's Monthly Revenue Reports offer the most recent month Slots Player Win Percent. Their Monthly Archives offer return statistics reports from prior months over the last twenty years.
The revenue reports offer the Win% for machine denominations for all casinos within a state region: Central, Northern, and Coastal. Further, progressive machines have separate entries by denomination. Gaming machines include:
- Slot machines
- Video poker machines
- Video keno machines
Another useful monthly report is Gaming Devices Report, which offers how many machines of each denomination are in each commercial casino. Once again, progressive versus non-progressive machines are separate.
Relative to other U.S. gaming jurisdictions, the payout statistics provided by Mississippi are the most thorough treatment I've seen for payout returns.
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has not established theoretical payout limits in their gaming compact or by its Choctaw Gaming Commission. Further, as is often the case, no actual return statistics are publicly available.
Summary of Mississippi Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Mississippi slot machine casino gambling consists of 28 commercial casinos, three tribal casinos, and cruise ships sailing out of the ports of Biloxi and Gulfport on the Gulf Coast to international destinations.
Reference
Minimum and maximum theoretical payout limits at commercial casinos are 80% and 100%. Possibly the best return statistics in the U.S. are available from Mississippi, available by three state regions and machine denominations as well as whether they are progressive machines.
Annual Progress in Mississippi Slot Machine Casino Gambling
In the last year, one commercial casino has closed, the Resorts Casino Tunica.
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The Mississippi Gambler (1953) - IMDb
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