The Silver Slipper Casino is in Hancock County, Mississippi. (undated photo courtesy of Silver Slipper)
A $75 million addition to Silver Slipper Casino in Hancock County will bring a second hotel tower out over the water.
The Silver Slipper Casino is in Hancock County, Mississippi. (undated photo courtesy of Silver Slipper)
Signs are posted and social media posts are getting hundreds of comments after management at Silver Slipper Casino in Hancock County announced Tuesday only guests age 21 and older will be allowed on the premises.
“No persons under the age of 21 years will be permitted in this building for any reason,” the Facebook post says. “All guests must be 21 years of age or older in order to be admitted to the casino, our restaurants, the hotel or the pool area.”
The new policy is effective July 1, said John Ferrucci, general manager of Silver Slipper.
While several people on Facebook said they are unhappy with this new policy, the majority of the more than 500 comments Tuesday afternoon were in favor of limiting the property to adults only.
“Take your kids to a family resort. Casinos are for adults,” one commenter said.
Ferrucci said the resort personnel “tried desperately” to accommodate their guests, but frequently had to speak to parents and guardians about how they are supposed to maintain responsibility for children at a casino.
“They can not be left unattended at all,” he said.
But many guardians were not properly supervising their children in the casino, he said, and the resort was cited by the Mississippi Gaming Commission.
“I’m not doing it anymore,” he said.
To access the buffet and every restaurant inside the resort requires taking children across the casino floor, he said. The pool deck always has been restricted to adults only.
Every hotel guest with reservations was contacted about the change.
“We invite parents to come back when they have a babysitter,” Ferrucci said.
A $75 million addition to Silver Slipper Casino in Hancock County will bring a second hotel tower out over the water.
Instead of people canceling their reservations, Ferucci said he’s “getting a lot of support,” he said.
Treasure Bay Casino in Biloxi and Island View Casino in Gulfport also limit their customers to age 21 and older.
Ferrucci said the owners of these casinos enacted the policy when the casinos reopened after the coronavirus shutdown in 2020.
“It was a difficult decision,” he said. “We surely didn’t take it lightly.”
The Silver Slipper is near Bay St. Louis and Waveland and a short drive from Louisiana.
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