SANDERSVILLE, Miss. (WDAM) - The only casino in the Pine Belt is reopening its doors to the public. The Bok Homa Casino shut down four months ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At noon Friday, it. Tribe installs weather-warning sirens at casino, on reservation Aug 12, 2020 0 Nearly six months after an EF-3 tornado tore through the small Tribal community of Bogue Homa near Sandersville, two warning sirens have been installed, according to a press release from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. SANDERSVILLE, Miss. (WDAM) - The only casino in the Pine Belt is now open again. The Bok Homa Casino shut down four months ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are some game changes. Experience the best and safest gaming experience at Bok Homa Casino, located in Sandersville, MS. Since its grand opening in December 2010, Bok Homa (which means “red creek” in Choctaw) has offered high-energy gaming thrills 24 hours a day. Toll-Free Number: (866) 447-3275. Casino Size: 27,000 Square Feet. Games Offered: Slots, Video Poker, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three Card Poker.
Philadelphia, Mississippi (AP) July 2010The election commission of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians has rejected a petition that sought an election on expansion of tribal gaming into Jones County.
Choctaws spokesman Warren Strain tells The Neshoba Democrat that the election commission unanimously found that it had no authority to move ahead with an election because the petition was improperly filed.
The Tribal Council approved the casino near Sandersville in an 8-7 vote on June 8.
The proposed Bogue Homa casino would be the first casino built outside the Tribal headquarters in Neshoba County. The Tribe is considering building a 27,000-square-foot casino in Sandersville, northeast of Laurel.
It is expected to be equipped with 500 to 700 slot machines. It would be a $17 million investment, employing about 250 people.
Gov. Haley Barbour has asked Attorney General Jim Hood to take legal action to try to block the development because he is not for expanding gaming beyond where it is presently and the facility would draw on low-to-moderate-income people and that could have a negative impact.
The Choctaw casinos operate under a 1992 Tribal Compact negotiated by former Gov. Kirk Fordice.
Strain said the Tribe expects the casino to be built. He said the decision is rooted in the Choctaws philosophy of self-determination and is in the best interest of the Tribe.
Meanwhile, the Jones County Board of Supervisors has asked its attorney to draft a resolution opposing the casino.
Jones County Administrator Charles Miller said the board heard this week from opponents to the casino. He said board attorney Wayne Thompson was working on the resolution.
They (supervisors) discussed in principle what they felt and he (Thompson) is going to put it into a resolution, Miller told the Laurel Leader-Call. In general, theyre opposed to it for economic reasons. They feel it would be an economic detriment to the county.
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Allan Nix, director of missions for the Jones County Baptist Association, and others said the casino was not a good thing for Jones County.
Im all for self-determination, which Chief (Philip) Martin used effectively, Nix said. But, thats not an exclusive right for the Choctaws. The people of Jones County should have the right to voice whats in their best interests. More than likely the casino will not generate any more revenue, and instead increase expenses for infrastructure and law enforcement.
The Golden Moon casino was opened by the Choctaws in Philadelphia in 2002. It became the tribes second casino to open in Philadelphia, the first being the Silver Star in 1994.
The Choctaw casinos are not regulated by the state. Mississippi has 30 state-regulated casinos that operate along the waters of the Mississippi River and along the Gulf Coast.
CHOCTAW, Miss. — The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is planning a phased reopening of its Pearl River Resort amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The tribe said its Bok Homa Casino in Sandersville is opening its doors Friday.
Golden Moon Hotel & Casino in Neshoba County will open a week later, on Aug. 14. Reopening has not been set for Silver Star Casino, which is across a highway from Golden Moon and is connected by a pedestrian bridge.
'It's very devastating': COVID-19 ravages Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
The Choctaw casinos have been closed for more than four months because of the pandemic. Mississippi's state-regulated casinos along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River closed about two months, and many reopened in late May.
© Rogelio V. Solis, AP Dusk envelopes the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians' trademark globe atop the Golden Moon Casino and Hotel, Tuesday, July 21, 2020, in Philadelphia, Miss. The seriousness of COVID-19 and its effect on the tribe, are highlighted by the continued closure of the gaming venues, their hotels and the widely attended water park in Philadelphia. Around 1,000 people tribal members have tested positive for the virus, including the tribal chief. More than 70 have died. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)“We are excited to welcome our guests back and look forward to safely providing them with outstanding service and a comfortable gaming experience,” William Johnson, president and CEO of Pearl River Resort, said in a statement.
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Johnson said guests will be asked to follow social distancing protocols. Before entering the property, each person's temperature will be scanned. In addition, each guest and employee will be required to wear a face covering or mask.
More: State starts job training program for workers who lost jobs due to COVID-19
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Johnson said the casinos will use machines to disinfect gaming chips at table games. During designated times, sections of each casino will be closed for cleaning.
The Choctaw-owned Geyser Falls Water Theme Park in Neshoba County will remain closed the rest of this summer. People who bought 2020 season passes can use those in 2021, according to a Pearl River Resort news release.
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians reopening one of its casinos today