Buffett Opens Biloxi Casino
Warren isn’t the only Buffett skilled at making money. Jimmy Buffett is in the fun business, and business is good. He’s parlayed his 1977 hit “Margaritaville” into an empire and lifestyle brand that includes a restaurant/retail chain, a beach-side hotel in Pensacola, Fla., and, more recently, casinos.
He toasted the first Margaritaville Casino in October in the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. On Tuesday, May 22 at 8 p.m., the doors open for the new Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant Biloxi.
Perched on the water at the eastern end of Biloxi’s Back Bay, the relatively modest 26,000-square-foot facility features a 30-foot wall of windows framing the Biloxi Bay Bridge. Buffett has also licensed the Margaritaville name to a casino/hotel slated to open next year in Bossier City.
Adept at mixing business with pleasure, Buffett, 65, spent part of the past week fly-fishing for drum and redfish on Cat and the Chandeleur islands, before heading to Austin, Texas, to rehearse his annual summer tour. He’ll take a break from rehearsals to attend tonight’s grand opening in Biloxi and perform for invited guests prior to the 8 p.m. opening to the public.
Buffett and I spoke over the weekend about his casino, his rare acoustic set at this year’s New Orleans Jazz Fest, and the job he jokingly offered suspended New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton.