Gulf Coast Gambling Recovers from Gustav

Casinos along the USA's gulf coast were set to reopen Wednesday after being ordered to close due to the threat posed by Hurricane Gustav.

11 Mississippi casinos were ordered shut on Sunday for safety reasons, but the Mississippi Gaming Commission approved the reopening if the casinos completed the checklists given to them.  No damage was reported at any of the casinos.

Progress has been a little slower in neighboring Louisiana, where two of Pinnacle Entertainment's three Louisiana casinos: Boomtown New Orleans and L'Auberge du Lac - reported minor exterior damage, and both closed on the weekend.

Gulf coast casinos were hit hard by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated Mississippi and Louisiana in 2005. More than a dozen casinos in Mississippi were destroyed by Katrina, while the state's largest hotel-casino - Beau Rivage was closed for a year.   Likewise, not much survived in New Orleans, Louisiana, the cultural and entertainment capital of the south, that was particularly devastated by the hurricane.

In positive news for casino operators, shares rose overall on Tuesday as the threat of Hurricane Gustav passed.

Casinos have been operating along the US gulf coast since the 1990s, when state gaming commissions were established to regulate the industry in Mississippi and Louisiana.