Page 2 - MGHA - Annual Report, 2017
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The Mississippi Gaming & Hospitality Association (MGHA) was chartered in 1993 and works in cooperation with the American Gaming Association in Washington, D.C. As of this report, all of the 28 commercial casinos operating in Mississippi are members of MGHAand there are approximately 50 associate members made up of other associations,professional service providers and vendors that support the gaming, hospitality and tourism industry — the fourth largest industry in Mississippi.
The association advocates for policies that would allow Mississippi’s commercial casino operators to stay strong and to support the state’s $6.3 billion gaming, hospitality and tourism industry with gaming accounting for nearly $3 billion.The goal of the association is to ensure our industry remains competitive and strong, and continues to be a healthy contributor to the state’s overall economy.With that in mind, MGHA has through collaboration come up with recommendations to support this goal:
• Encourage resort-style casino developments in Mississippi through tourism incentive programs.Tourism-related activities should include well-capitalized gaming resort projects and encourage other non-gaming amenities.
• Avoid policies that single out gaming from the tourism industry or puts an unfair burden upon the gaming industry.
• Maintain Mississippi’s stable gaming
regulatory environment.
• Invest in post-secondary curricula that
will provide residents with the training and education needed to have an immediate impact on Mississippi’s $6.3 billion tourism industry and make the state’s workforce more competitive.
• Continue to support the state’s and the industry’s initiatives to combat problem gambling.
The Mississippi gaming industry began in 1992 with a single riverboat in Biloxi. It has grown into a well-capitalized economic sustainer during the past 25 years and is a vital part of the overall tourism industry. In 2016, the Mississippi Development Authority – Tourism (MDATourism) office reported 23 million out-of-state visitors, while the casinos reported 14.2 million out-of-state visitors in the same period.This translates into an estimated 62 percent of out-of-state visitors coming to our state who take time to visit a casino.The MGHAwill continue to work with its members and associate members to increase the number of visitors to our state.
MGHA STAFF
WWW.MSGAMING.ORG
The MGHA website is a valuable resource of information relevant to our industry here in Mississippi. It includes
an updated list of members and associate members, updated news in our Press Room, our monthly newsletter, annual reports, studies, analysis and more.
Mississippi Gaming & Hospitality Association
120 N. Congress Street, Suite 420 Jackson, MS 39201
OFFICE: 601/965-6992
FAX: 601/965-6993 lgregory@msgaming.org mikebruffey@msgaming.org
Larry Gregory, Executive Director
Michael Bruffey, Deputy Director
STATE
OF THE INDUSTRY
MGHA


































































































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