Harrah's Casino Tunica

This article is about the third Harrah's in Tunica. For the second casino hotel with that name, see Resorts Casino Tunica.

Harrah's Casino Tunica
Entrance to the abandoned Harrah's Casino Tunica
Interactive map of Harrah's Casino Tunica
Location Tunica Resorts, Mississippi
Address 13615 Old Highway 61 N
Opening date1996
Closing dateJune 2, 2014
ThemeMardi Gras
No. of rooms1,356
Total gaming space140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2)
Signature attractionsBellissimo Spa & Salon
Notable restaurants '37 Steakhouse, Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill, Paula Deen's Buffet
Casino typeRiverboat casino
OwnerCaesars Entertainment Corporation
Previous namesGrand Casino Tunica (1996–2007)

Harrah's Casino Tunica, formerly Grand Casino Tunica, was a casino and resort located in Tunica Resorts, Mississippi. It was owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corporation. The casino offered a 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2) casino and three hotels with a total of 1,356 rooms. There was also an RV park, the Bellissimo Spa & Salon, a convention center, The Willows sporting clays shotgun club, and a 2,500 seat entertainment venue called the Harrah's Event Center.

Citing steadily declining business rates in its last few years, Caesars announced the closure of Harrah's Casino Tunica, along with its hotels, golf course, and events center in March 2014.[1] The casino was closed permanently on June 2, 2014 and was demolished in August 2015.[2][3] As of December 2020, the three hotel buildings remained standing, but have not operated since the resort's closure in 2014. The golf course and events center were also abandoned. Caesars rented out one hotel and its parking lot to an auction company to have live auctions for farm equipment and other large items.

In 2021 a plan was announced to redevelop the property.[4]

History

Grand Casino Tunica (1996–2007)

The casino was built in 1996 and was the largest between Las Vegas and Atlantic City, featuring a large poker room.[5] The Harrah's Casino Hotel, directly connected to the casino, had 148 rooms and 40 suites. Two additional hotels were located about half a mile away along a lake, with 24-hour complimentary shuttle service. The Veranda Resort Hotel (1996) had 532 rooms and 36 suites, while the Terrace Hotel & Spa (1999) had 563 rooms and 37 suites.

Grand Casino Tunica was originally owned by Grand Casinos, led by Lyle Berman, known for developing resort-style casinos on Native American reservations and in Mississippi.

In 1998, Grand Casinos sold its Tunica and Biloxi, Mississippi resorts to the gaming division of Hilton Hotels, with the assets spun off into Park Place Entertainment (later renamed Caesars Entertainment).

In 2005, Caesars Entertainment was acquired by Harrah's Entertainment, which reverted to the Caesars name in 2010. In the Tunica market, Caesars also operates Horseshoe Casino Tunica and Tunica Roadhouse Casino & Hotel, with shared management and player marketing operations.

Harrah's Casino Tunica (2007–2014)

In October 2007, Harrah's officials announced a $45 million renovation of Grand Casino Tunica, including renaming the resort Harrah's Casino Tunica.[6] The new Harrah's featured a buffet branded by Food Network chef Paula Deen, reportedly the first celebrity chef-branded buffet at an American casino.[7] It was rebranded in 2013 after her removal from Food Network.[8]

A Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill operated by Capri Restaurant Group Enterprises LLC opened in September 2010, replacing Replays bar and grill and Murano's Italian Restaurant.

Previous Harrah's Casinos in Tunica

This is the third casino in Tunica Resorts to bear the name Harrah's. The previous Harrah's Tunica was designed by Steelman Partners. The first was located just off Casino Strip Blvd., several miles south of the former Grand, and was the first casino to open in that area in 1993. In 1996, Harrah's acquired the shuttered Southern Belle Casino, approximately 500 yards (450 m) away from the first Harrah's. The company operated both casinos as Harrah's for a short time, calling the second property "Harrah's Mardi Gras." Eventually, Harrah's sold the original property to Isle of Capri Casinos, who operated it as "Isle of Capri Tunica" for a short time before closing it.

With the sale of Caesars to Harrah's in 2004, the combined companies were forced to sell two properties to avoid owning five of the nine casinos in the Tunica market. Harrah's Mardi Gras was sold, along with Bally's Casino Tunica, to Colony Capital, and Harrah's Mardi Gras was renamed Resorts Casino Tunica.

See also

References

  1. ^ Rufener, Katie; Brown, George (March 26, 2014). "Harrah's Tunica Casino To Close". wreg.com. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  2. ^ "Demolition begins at Harrah's Casino in Tunica". WMC-TV. Memphis, Tennessee, USA. August 22, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  3. ^ "Judge Clears Harrah's Tunica Demolition". GGB Magazine. May 3, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  4. ^ "Water park, golf planned at old Harrah's Tunica Resort". Associated Press. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  5. ^ Source, Custom (March 27, 2014). "Harrah's announces it will close Tunica casino". The Dispatch. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  6. ^ Harrah's Tunica Coming Soon. FortuneWins. Retrieved April 22, 2026
  7. ^ Harrahs.com: Paula Deen's Buffet - Coming May 2008
  8. ^ Tepper, Rachel (June 26, 2013). "Paula Deen Dropped By Caesars Entertainment, Loses Four Casino Buffets". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 26, 2016.

34°51′20″N 90°17′40″W / 34.855613°N 90.294544°W / 34.855613; -90.294544

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