By Nolan Dalla
BOOM (1990-2010)
Tunica, Mississippi may be the least-likely place in America for a casino boomtown.
The sleepy town (and county) 30 miles south of Memphis rests in a sprawling patchwork of cotton fields smack dab in between Route 61 and the Mississippi River bordering Arkansas. The population was barely above 2,000 when – to the shock of just about everybody – casino gambling was legalized in this rusty broken buckle of the Bible Belt in 1990. At the time, Tunica and surrounding counties was the poorest region of the United States.
In the Old South’s own adaptation of Field of Dreams, Tunica built it….and they came. Indeed, visitors arrived by the millions during tho those early years.
Within a decade, Tunica boasted nearly a dozen casinos, and they were often packed 24/7. By 2000, the once rural and desolate county had become the third-largest casino-gambling destination in the United States — ranking behind only the two mega-giants – Las Vegas and Atlantic City. No resort destination anywhere ever exploded so quickly, attracted such big crowds year-around, and raked in more in revenues.
Tunica wasn’t just popular with Memphis locals and day-trippers from nearby states. It had quickly become a vast adult Disneyland to millions scattered across the South, and later successfully drew from all over, including overseas. Corporations recognized the vast potential and swooped in. The biggest casinos couldn’t construct luxury hotels fast enough. They invited the biggest names in music and entertainment. They offered world-class cuisine with a country twist. Conventions from all over began flocking to Tunica.
Then, the most successful casinos and hotels expanded. A few doubled in size. The boomtown was booming.
Tunica loyalists especially took pride in fantastic gambling action, maybe the best in the world at the time. Game odds were fair and comps were plentiful. For several years, the Jack Binion World Poker Open held at Horseshoe Tunica, the first major poker tournament to be broadcast annually by ESPN, ranked only behind the World Series of Poker in terms of participants and prize money.
Next door, the Gold Strike Casino-Restort became the tallest building in the state of Mississippi. There was fun stuff to do year around, from poker in the winter to golf in the summer, to gambling and drinking and live music in between.
In the middle of nowhere, practically out of nothing, Tunica had become the king of casino gambling in the American heartland.
BUST (2012-2021)
At its height in 2006, there were ten Tunica casinos with 14,000 slot machines, more than 400 table games, and 15,000 employees. Dealers and servers bragged about making $500 a night in tips. State revenues from the Tunica region alone totalled a staggering $1.66 billion. But as the old saying goes, nothing lasts forever.
Tunica proved the validity of the “Field of Dreams” economic theory. The problem was, other regions around the country saw what happened and decided to copy the winning “built it” (after they legalize it) formula.
Many cities, counties, and states — desperately in need of additional revenues for various government services — realized legalized casino gambling could be a popular alternative to raising taxes on citizens while also providing nearby access to something that most people wanted. Now, Tunica had competition.
Though there weren’t as many casinos in these other hot spots as in Tunica, and they weren’t nearly as concentrated, several other places legalized gambling and opened up new casinos. In some instances, they were much bigger and far flashier. Consumers uncertain about where to stay and play on weekends, opted to remain closer to home. Or, they drove elsewhere.
Slowly at first, then more steadily, casinos in Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana took significant chunks out of Tunica’s business. Casinos and resorts in several other states also contributed to Tunica’s gradual decline. But perhaps the biggest hit came from nearby Arkansas.
The state just across the river approved four casinos. Two racetracks also opened up as full-fledged casinos. The casino pie wasn’t getting bigger. It was just being cut into smaller slices. That said, corporations had plenty of mouths to feed.
Storm clouds had been gathering all around as Tunica underwent significant changes in casino ownership. The newer generation of owners didn’t have the same depth of experience, nor the instincts on ways to deal with this very unusual local market. Prices rose, and customers/gamblers who were used to getting the most bang for the buck in Tunica began going elsewhere in search of bargains and value.
The destructive Mississippi River Floods of 2011 accelerated a steady decline. They were the precursor of the most difficult times ahead. Every building in the community positioned on land was damaged. Local infrastructure was wiped out. While casino gaming floors managed to escape significant damage since — by law — they were required to be constructed over bodies of water, hotel towers and other businesses on flooded land. Worse, they remained in vulnerable flood zones, which meant it could happen again and again. Most resorts experienced devastating water damage, including Harrah’s Casino Tunica, which was under several feet of water.
Burdened with millions in financial losses, suddenly pressed with the possible unforeseen expenses of rebuilding, and facing the troubling reality that Tunica now had fierce competition in other casino markets, some corporations and investors made the decision to build and expand elsewhere. Four casinos were shuttered and never re-opened. By 2017, state revenues were cut in half, down $885 million, and likely heading further south.
Tunica’s bust happened because of three things. In part, they were a victim of their own success; in part, it was due to changing ownership and dwindling reinvestment; and finally in part, the shrinkage was due to just plain old bad luck (the floods). Tunica’s once thriving casino market appeared to be in a freefall.
It fell from ranking third in overall visitation and revenues to sixth nationally, behind even Detroit. Then, in early 2020, most Americans learned about something called “COVID-19” for the very first time. Late that spring while flowers were blooming in the nearby fields, every casino in Tunica was empty. The shutdown turned a struggling market into a ghost town.
The bust had hit rock bottom.
BALANCE (2022-PRESENT)
Coming out of COVID and navigating the crushing impacts of the mass shutdown wasn’t easy for anyone. However, it was especially agonizing for Tunica.
The question was — could they do it all over again? If Tunica re-built it, would they come?
The answer has been — yes (and no). With a twist.
It’s taken 35 years for everyone connected in any way to the local scene to learn the hard lesson that Tunica is not Las Vegas, nor Atlantic City.
Tunica is Tunica. Let it stay that way. Maintaining the friendly, down-home identity of this unique market and catering to the needs and desires of locals, and some tourists too, is proving to be a new lease on life and success.
Today, Tunica includes the following six casinos:
- 1st Jackpot Casino
- Fitz Tunica Casino & Hotel
- Gold Strike Tunica
- Hollywood Casino
- Horseshoe Casino
- Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall *
[Note: It’s just been announced as this article is being researched and written that Sam’s Town Hotel and Gaming Hall will permanently close on Nov. 9, 2025.]
Right now, Tunica is trying to find just the right balance. Manage reasonable expectations (maybe it’s a good idea not to squeeze every dollar out of each consumer). Maintain customer and player loyalty (treat customers and players right). Cooperate with competitors rather than undercut them (work with other casinos to bring more people to the area, rather than stealing from each other).
This ideal balance may take a bit more time, but Tunica has come way too far and shown what it can do in a relatively short amount of time. Tunica should continue as a gambling mecca, especially within the South. It remains to be seen just how big a gambling mecca Tunica will be, going forward.
As for Mississippi, the state and those in charge would be most wise to help Tunica, rather than plundering it as they have ruthlessly and neglectfully have done for the past 35 years. Northern Mississippi, which includes Tunica, has contributed many billions to the state coffers in tax revenues over three decades. Unfortunately, very little of that money has returned to the place where it’s produced, nor the people who make it all happen.
Tunica still suffers from a 29 percent poverty rate, which is much lower than it once was before casinos, but is still more than twice the national average. Tunica should have been treated better by the state and the elected officials that are happy to spend its spoils, but actually invest very little back in return.
When a goose is laying golden eggs, it’s wise to feed the goose and treat it right.
Read this article in the 2025 SUMMER Recap issue of Rounder Magazine
Lead image of entrance to the abandoned Harrah’s Casino in Tunica, MS by Peter Burka. Images of Doyle Brunson and Nolan Dalla at the 2000 Jack Binion World Poker Open at Horseshe Casino in Tunica, MS courtesy of nolandalla.com / photographer unknown. Image of flooded casinos provided by EPA. Image of Sam’s Town Casino courtesy of Boyd Gaming. Image of front entrance to Hollywood Casino Tunica courtesy of hollywoodcasinotunica.com.
Nolan Dalla is widely considered as one of the preeminent authorities on gambling’s rich and vast history. He has worked as a casino executive, author, and also enjoys placing the occasion bet. He lives in Las Vegas. He can be reached at: nolandalla@gmail.com
