Tunica Casino Closes as Mississippi Sweepstakes Ban Fail

Sam’s Town Hotel and Gaming Hall has announced on social media that they will be closing permanently on November 9th, 10 pm. The news is the latest twist in the checkered history of this Boyd Gaming-owned facility, after years of sliding profitability and popularity. 

Interestingly, the decision to close Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall comes at a time of sweeps casino’s surging popularity. Last April 2025, the Mississippi legislature tried and failed to completely ban sweepstakes casinos in the state.

Sam’s Town Tunica Closure-What Happened Along the Way?

Sam’s Town was one of Tunica’s brightest destinations for gaming. It’s home to 700+ slot machines, including video keno machines, progressives, and video poker. Locals and guests also loved the site and its impressive collection of table games, including different variants of blackjack, roulette, craps with 10x odds), and different variants of poker. 

Although it started strong upon launch in 1994, the facility slowly wilted under intense competition and changing customer preferences. 

In an interview on WREG News, David Strown, the facility’s Vice President of Corporate Communications, attributed the casino’s woes to declining popularity. Mr Strow further added that the northwest Mississippi market “has declined considerably in the past 20 years”, sharing that some of Tunica’s original casinos have already ceased operations. 

He then explained that the company’s decision to close the casino is “a result of these market conditions”, and in line with their efforts to adjust the business to meet changing players’ demands. Strow admitted that the decision to close the casino wasn’t easy, and they remain thankful to all their guests and players through the years.

Sweeps Casinos Directly Competing with Physical Sites?

While the Sam’s closure isn’t directly tied to the rise of sweepstakes casinos, the timing is notable: as Boyd Gaming finalizes plans to close the popular venue, Mississippi lawmakers have stopped short of fully banning social casino gaming.

Online sweepstakes casinos are not explicitly legal in the state, and authorities have an ongoing campaign to regulate the industry. In 2025, the state’s Senate passed SB 2510,  a bill that aims to completely ban these sweeps casinos. Also, this bill specified the penalties for violations, which included steeper fees and jail time.

Bill to Ban Sweeps Casino Stalls; Popular Sweepstakes Casinos are Still Accessible

However, the anti-sweeps bill stalled—it failed to pass after the amendments were made. Today, these sweepstake casino sites exist in a legal limbo: they’re neither clearly illegal nor banned by law. Also, the sweepstakes casino bill has become a controversial issue in the state’s gaming community. 

For some licensed casino operators, sweeps casinos operate with less regulation and aren’t properly taxed, leading to unfair competition.

REFERENCES:

• State of Mississippi