| Tunica Resorts | |
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| — Unincorporated community — | |
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Tunica Resorts
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Tunica |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 38664 |
| FIPS code | |
| GNIS feature ID | |
Tunica Resorts is an unincorporated community located in northern Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, north of the county seat of Tunica. The community was originally named Robinsonville, but the name was changed in 2003.[1] Locals still refer to the town by this name. The community is situated mostly between the Mississippi River and U.S. Route 61.
Tunica Resorts is, as the name implies, home to nine casino resorts. The use of the name "Tunica" by the resorts, despite the fact that since 1995 they were all located in Robinsonville and not Tunica proper, led to the name change to reduce confusion by tourists. Lacking the structure of an organized city or town, Tunica Resorts consists mainly of casinos and cotton fields, with few permanent residents living in the community. Despite this, Tunica Resorts historically has ranked as high as the third largest casino-gambling destination in the United States, as measured by gaming revenue, behind Las Vegas, Nevada and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Its casinos attract gamblers mainly from nearby Memphis, but also draw visitors from Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, Georgia, Illinois and Kentucky. Recently, due to increased legalization of gambling in other states, Tunica places sixth in gaming revenue, after the Las Vegas Strip, Atlantic City, Chicago, Connecticut, and Detroit.[2]
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As of 2010, the town is home to nine casinos:
At one time, eleven different casinos were operated in the community. Treasure Bay Casino closed, and the Isle of Capri (originally the first of three Harrah's locations in the area) was bought by neighboring Sam's Town and used only for its hotel tower and parking garage.
The community is remarkable in that there is little infrastructure other than that which adjoins the casinos. Businesses other than the casinos include a small number of motels, convenience stores and fast food restaurants, along with an outlet-style shopping center and the community's oldest business, the Hollywood Cafe — a blues club immortalized in the popular song "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn in 1991. Small apartment complexes mainly occupied by casino workers are among the few dwellings found in Tunica Resorts. Outside of such structures — many built since 1990 — table-flat cotton fields mark much of the area, as was the case before the casinos came. Indeed, the scene of high-rise hotels rising behind the cotton fields presents a peculiar visual contrast to the arriving tourist.
In May 2008, the board of directors of the Mid-South Fair announced that the annual event would move to a new site in Tunica Resorts, on U.S. 61 across from the Tunica Visitors Center. The first fair on the new site was scheduled for 2009.[3][4][5] However, mainly because of weather but also because of the poor economy, the fair was instead held at the DeSoto Civic Center, and will continue to be until the new fairgrounds site is ready.
Tunica Resorts is protected by the North Tunica County Fire Protection District, a career fire department that was created in 1997. The department's equipment includes a 100 foot (31 m) Platform ladder truck (T-405), an Engine (E-4), and a Squad (S-4) which is staffed with a Fire Captain and five Firefighter/EMT's. Tunica Resorts has a class 7 insurance rating.
Beginning in 2007, some Tunica Resorts residents have tried to incorporate their community into a separate town government, rather than exist under the jurisdiction of Tunica County or move toward annexation into the town of Tunica. If Tunica Resorts incorporates, the new town government would be a direct beneficiary of casino tax revenue, enabling construction of municipal government offices. Depending on population and revenue growth, fire and police stations, libraries and other public infrastructure could be other likely additions.
Residents are a part of the Tunica County School District. Zoned schools include Robinsonville Elementary School,[6] Tunica Middle School, and Rosa Fort High School.
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