Pearl River Resort is a gaming resort located in Choctaw, Neshoba County, Mississippi. It is owned and operated by the federally recognized

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians ( cho, Mississippi Chahta) is one of three federally recognized tribes of Choctaw Native Americans, and the only one in the state of Mississippi. On April 20, 1945, this tribe organized under the Indian R ...

. The resort includes two

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

s, Silver Star Hotel & Casino and Golden Moon Hotel & Casino; a Dancing Rabbit Inn near the casinos; Dancing Rabbit Golf Club, an award-winning

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

Jerry Pate Jerome Kendrick Pate (born September 16, 1953) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly on the PGA Tour. As a 22-year-old rookie, he won the U.S. Open in 1976. Early years Born in Macon, Georgia, Pate grew up in the ...

; Geyser Falls Water Theme Park; and a spa. These casinos are the only

Native American gaming Native American gaming comprises casinos, bingo halls, and other gambling operations on Indian reservations or other tribal lands in the United States. Because these areas have tribal sovereignty, states have limited ability to forbid gambling ...

facilities in the state of

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, as the Mississippi Choctaw are the only federally recognized tribe in the state. When approved for opening in 2000, these were the only casinos in the state approved for land-based structures. At the time, by state law other gaming activity was limited to riverboats or floating structures on the rivers or Gulf Coast. In the aftermath of extensive damage to waterfront gaming on the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...

from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the state legislature changed some of its rules related to private gaming facilities.

History

The first casino, Silver Star, opened in 1994 on tribal lands near

Philadelphia, Mississippi Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,118 at the 2020 census. History Philadelphia is incorporated as a municipality; it was given its current name in 1903, two years ...

. The tribe had the Golden Moon constructed directly across the road in 2002. Golden Moon features a curving hotel structure that rises to a globe-shaped top. The Mississippi Choctaw are the only federally recognized tribe in the state and thus the only tribe authorized to operate a gaming facility on its reservation lands. In reaction to a downturn in the economy, in January 2009 Tribal Chief Beasley Denson announced that the Golden Moon would reduce its hours, to operate on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only. The tribe laid off 570 workers, none of whom was a tribal member. In addition to the recession affecting its business, the facility had to compete with a new gaming facility in Alabama developed by the federally recognized

Poarch Band of Creek Indians The Poarch Band of Creek Indians ( ;) are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans in Alabama. Speaking the Muscogee language, they were formerly known as the Creek Nation East of the Mississippi. They are located mostly in Escambia Cou ...

. The Mississippi Choctaw invested some $71 million in renovations to the casino and hotel to increase its appeal. After reopening the Golden Moon in January 2015, the tribe said that it employed some 2400 to 3000 workers in total at its facilities, the majority of whom are tribal members. Their hiring increases to satisfy seasonal demand in the busy summer months. The number of visitors increases with people drawn to the resort water park and to play golf.

References

External links

* {{coord, 32.772337, -89.206409, type:landmark, display=title Choctaw culture Native American casinos Casino hotels Casinos in Mississippi Buildings and structures in Neshoba County, Mississippi Tourist attractions in Neshoba County, Mississippi Hotels in Mississippi Native American history of Mississippi Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians