The Island View Casino is a casino and hotel located in Gulfport, Mississippi.
The Island View is the successor to the Copa Casino, which was first located on a docked cruise ship and then a barge-based building at the Mississippi State Docks, across U.S. Highway 90 (Beach Blvd.) from the current location. The Copa and its neighbor, Grand Casino Gulfport, were both destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. When Grand Casino's parent Harrah's Entertainment decided not to rebuild, it sold the Grand site to Copa owners Rick Carter and Terry Green. When Mississippi legislators changed casino laws to permit new casinos to be built on dry land, the duo used the Grand's former hotel as a temporary casino for Phase I of their redevelopment. Currently the Island View Casino is the only casino left in Gulfport after the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina.
The new facility (Phase I) opened on September 18, 2006, with 1,033 video poker and slot machines and 15 table games, a 350 seat Island View buffet, C&G Grille, and a 563-room hotel.
Phase II was completed on May 14, 2007, adding more gaming space, as well as, Emeril's Gulf Coast Fish House and a new multi-level parking garage.
In June 2010, Emeril's Gulf Coast Fish House closed and was replaced by Carter Green Steakhouse.
In May 2008, Island View Casino opened a 9 table, 24-hour poker room, but the poker room closed in 2010 and was replaced by a slot tournament area.
In December 2009, a 24-hour Coffee Shop opened.
Additional improvements have included a new players club program (Island View Insider), a website for player use, and a guest swimming pool, which opened in 2011.
Another amenity includes the Windance Country Club, an 18-hole championship golf course located in Gulfport.
An expected future development is the renovation of the former Grand Casino property located on the beach, south of U.S. Highway 90.
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