Copa Casino

Copa Casino was a small casino in Gulfport, Mississippi, that operated from a floating facility at the Mississippi State Docks. It was established during a period when Mississippi was liberalizing its gaming laws and developing a dockside casino industry along the Gulf Coast. Unlike many larger resort casinos in the Gulfport and Biloxi area, Copa did not have an attached hotel and primarily pursued a local customer base. The casino's origins lay in a late-1980s partnership between William "Si" Redd, a prominent gaming-industry entrepreneur associated with slot-machine manufacturing and casino development, and Gulf Coast restaurateurs Terry Green and Joel "Rick" Carter. Their venture, Carter-Green-Redd Inc., operated under the Pride Cruise Lines name and initially explored a floating casino concept that would use a ship positioned offshore. The partnership agreed to purchase the MV Jupiter in October 1988, but the vessel sank off Greece on the day of the transaction. The group subsequently acquired the Dutch ocean liner SS Ryndam, renamed it Pride of Mississippi, and later moved it to Texas, where it became known as Pride of Galveston. After Mississippi gaming regulations were loosened, the vessel was permanently docked in Gulfport in 1993 and began operating as Copa Casino. The ship was later sold for scrap when the business moved to a more permanent barge designed to resemble a shore-based building. Although the structure looked like a conventional building, it remained afloat so that the casino could comply with Mississippi's dockside gaming requirements at the time. Copa positioned itself as a relatively accessible alternative to the area's larger destination casinos. It was one of the few casinos in Gulfport or Biloxi without an adjoining hotel, and its offer emphasized low-minimum table games together with comparatively attractive payback levels on slot machines and video poker. This operating model was directed toward repeat local patrons rather than visitors seeking a full resort experience. Hurricane Katrina ended the casino's operation in August 2005. Storm surge pushed the floating barge out of its berth and into the parking area of the neighboring Grand Casino Gulfport, where it came to rest against the Grand's parking structure. The Copa facility was not rebuilt as a continuing casino brand. In December 2005, Harrah's Entertainment announced an agreement to sell the former Grand site and remaining assets to the Copa owners. Those owners used the acquired location to develop Island View Casino, initially opening a temporary land-based casino in the former Grand hotel after post-Katrina regulatory changes permitted land-based gaming. Island View later became a larger casino and hotel project, but it was a successor development rather than a reopened Copa Casino.

Copa Casino emerged from a late-1980s Gulf Coast casino venture formed by William "Si" Redd, Terry Green, and Joel "Rick" Carter. The partners organized Carter-Green-Redd Inc., doing business as Pride Cruise Lines, Inc., to pursue a floating casino concept. Their first planned vessel was the MV Jupiter, which they agreed to purchase on October 21, 1988. The ship sank off the coast of Greece later that day, forcing the partners to find another vessel. They then acquired the Dutch ocean liner SS Ryndam. The ship was renamed Pride of Mississippi in 1988 and later Pride of Galveston after being moved to Texas in 1991. The project initially reflected the regulatory environment of the period, when offshore or floating gaming structures were considered a way to operate within legal boundaries. Mississippi subsequently loosened its gaming rules, allowing the vessel to be permanently docked in Gulfport in 1993. At that point it became Copa Casino. The original ship was eventually replaced by a purpose-built barge. The replacement structure was designed to appear similar to a conventional onshore building, but it remained a floating facility because Mississippi's dockside gaming rules required casinos to be located on water. The casino operated from a berth at the Mississippi State Docks. Copa was smaller than many of the Gulf Coast's resort-oriented casinos. It did not include an attached hotel and was described as one of only a few casinos in the Gulfport-Biloxi market with that limitation. Its operating strategy focused on nearby residents. Low-minimum table games, slot machines, and video poker with relatively high payback levels helped distinguish it as a local casino rather than a destination resort. The business was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The storm surge displaced the barge from the dock and carried it into the parking lot of the neighboring Grand Casino Gulfport, where it collided with or came to rest against the Grand's parking deck. Copa did not resume operations in its previous form. The post-Katrina redevelopment of the property became connected to the casino's ownership group. In December 2005, Harrah's Entertainment announced an agreement to sell the former Grand site and remaining assets to the Copa owners. The acquired property was used for the development of Island View Casino. A temporary land-based facility opened in the former Grand hotel after regulatory changes made land-based casinos possible in the aftermath of Katrina, and the project later incorporated a hotel. Island View represented the continuation of the owners' Gulf Coast casino business, while Copa Casino itself remained defunct.

• 2005

  Hurricane Katrina ends operations

  [1]Copa Casinoen.wikipedia.org

  Katrina's storm surge swept the casino barge into the neighboring Grand Casino Gulfport property and destroyed Copa's operating facility.

• 2005

  Former Grand site sold for successor development

  [1]Copa Casinoen.wikipedia.org

  Harrah's Entertainment announced a sale of the former Grand site and remaining assets to the Copa owners, who planned Island View Casino.

• 1993

  Copa Casino opens in Gulfport

  [1]Copa Casinoen.wikipedia.org

  Following changes to Mississippi gaming laws, the vessel was permanently docked at Gulfport and began operating as Copa Casino.

• 1991

  Vessel becomes Pride of Galveston

  [1]Copa Casinoen.wikipedia.org

  After relocation to Texas, the casino vessel was renamed Pride of Galveston.

• 1988

  Carter-Green-Redd partnership formed

  [1]Copa Casinoen.wikipedia.org

  William "Si" Redd joined Gulf Coast restaurateurs Terry Green and Joel "Rick" Carter in a venture intended to establish a floating casino operation.

• 1988

  MV Jupiter purchase collapses after sinking

  [1]Copa Casinoen.wikipedia.org

  The partners agreed to acquire the MV Jupiter, but the vessel sank off Greece on the same day as the agreement.

• 1988

  SS Ryndam renamed Pride of Mississippi

  [1]Copa Casinoen.wikipedia.org

  The group acquired the Dutch ocean liner SS Ryndam and renamed it Pride of Mississippi for the casino venture.

A small, local-market Gulf Coast casino emphasizing accessible table-game minimums and relatively favorable slot and video-poker returns rather than an integrated hotel-resort experience.

• Gaming venue · 1993

  Casino gaming

  Copa Casino provided a compact floating casino environment in Gulfport. Its gaming offer was aimed primarily at local residents and included table games, slot machines, and video poker rather than a broad hotel, entertainment, or convention resort proposition.

• Electronic gaming · 1993

  Slot machines and video poker

  Electronic gaming was a central part of Copa's local-market proposition. The casino was noted for relatively high payback levels on slot machines and video poker, giving it a value-oriented reputation among nearby patrons.

• Table gaming · 1993

  Table games

  The casino offered table games with comparatively low minimum bets. This supported its positioning as an accessible alternative to larger Gulf Coast casinos and helped attract repeat local customers.

• 2005

  Redevelop the former Grand Casino property as Island ViewStrategy

  Background

  Hurricane Katrina destroyed Copa's floating facility and transformed the Gulf Coast casino market and regulatory environment.

  Action taken

  The Copa owners agreed to acquire the former Grand Casino Gulfport site and remaining assets from Harrah's Entertainment and use the property for Island View Casino.

  Aftermath

  A temporary land-based facility opened in the former Grand hotel, and the successor project later added a hotel. Copa Casino itself did not reopen.

  Source

• 1993

  Move from a cruise-ship concept to a permanently docked casinoStrategy

  Background

  The owners pursued a floating casino while Mississippi gaming rules were changing and later selected a permanent Gulfport berth after the state's regulations were loosened.

  Action taken

  The Pride of Galveston was docked at the Mississippi State Docks and began operating as Copa Casino.

  Aftermath

  The business later transitioned from the ship to a barge designed to resemble an onshore building while remaining afloat for regulatory compliance.

  Source

• 2005

  Hurricane Katrina destroys Copa Casino facility[1]Copa Casinoen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Storm surge moved the casino's floating barge from its berth onto the neighboring Grand Casino Gulfport parking area, ending Copa Casino's operation.

• 2005

  Copa owners agree to acquire former Grand Casino site and assets[1]Copa Casinoen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  Harrah's Entertainment announced a December agreement to sell the former Grand Casino Gulfport site and remaining assets to the owners of Copa Casino for redevelopment as Island View Casino.

1. 1Copa Casinoen.wikipedia.org