"Casino Magic" was a dockside casino, operated as Casino Magic Biloxi Casino & Hotel, that was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Hurricanes were a known risk in the area, and the owning company hoped to install an anchoring system in Biloxi's Back Bay where the barges could weather a storm away from the open sea. The plan was rejected by local officials, who feared the vessels could become debris, and damage homes or bridges. Instead, Casino Magic installed a massive mooring system, and acquired a submersible barge that could be sunk offshore from the barges to act as a breakwater. The first hurricane to strike the region after the opening of the casino was Georges in 1998, a Category 2 storm which caused $2.5 million in damage to Casino Magic.
In 2005, with Katrina approaching, the state ordered all coastal casinos to close on August 28. The storm made landfall the next day, and the 25+ foot storm surge carried the Casino Magic barge (along with 5 other casino barges, such as the Isle of Capri) over 400 feet from its mooring spot, crashing into the Pt. Cadet Pawn Shop across Beach Boulevard.
I'm very interested to hear the story about how the chips were salvaged and eventually made it back into the wild!
Thanks to Wikipedia for much of the info! Donate if you have a few bucks to spare....
. If any chip historians have any information on these it would be much appreciated. Cheers!
