The highly anticipated opening of Scarlet Pearl Casino in D’Iberville took place on Wednesday, December 9. The $290-million hotel and casino venue is the first property of this kind in the city and the twelfth in South Mississippi.
Scarlet Pearl features a 68,000-square-foot casino with as many as 1,300 slot machines, 300 hotel rooms, including 10 penthouse suits and 56 regular suites, a number of foot and beverage options, an events center, and a specially designed 36-hole mini-golf course with an erupting volcano as its centerpiece.
The establishment and the eventual launch of Scarlet Pearl was considered a historic moment for D’Iberville. City officials have worked for the opening of the casino since the 1990s, when casino gambling was legalized in Mississippi. Back then, Harrison County held a referendum on whether the region should host a gambling venue. The results from the vote showed that 65% of D’Iberville’s residents would welcome a development of that kind.
Commenting on the pre-Christmas opening of the venue, Chief Executive Officer LuAnn Pappas said that in this way staff will be able to take care of any issues that may arise before the busiest week of the year.
The opening ceremony was attended not only by residents of the city, keen on trying the gambling options offered at the casino, but also by officials for D’Iberville and the surrounding cities. They all seemed content with the establishment and the benefits it may bring to the city and the region as a whole. For instance, Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes told media that Scarlet Pearl is a great addition to Mississippi’s Coast casinos and will most certainly have a positive effect on local economy.
D’Iberville Mayor Rusty Quave, who was among the leaders of the casino effort over the past years, said that it has been such a pleasure to watch the 15-story Scarlet Pearl structure rise in the past twelve months. The building was designed by Nory Hazaveh of SOSH Architects and was constructed by Gulfport’s Roy Anderson Corp.
Pennsylvania-based hospitality professional Bob Granieri was the man behind the multi-million-dollar casino project. Scarlet Pearl’s owner told media that officials for his home state have “put up roadblocks” to casino development. However, his plan for the establishment of a destination resort was welcomed in D’Iberville and both residents and officials “put out pathways” for the ambitious project.
