New casino still on hold

BILOXI, Miss - Harrah's Entertainment may need financial partners if it wants to build the Margaritaville Casino in Biloxi with the size and scope originally intended, says a company official.

R. Scott Barber, Harrah's mid-South regional president, tells The Sun Herald that while Harrah's is exploring a number of opportunities, there was nothing new to report.

Barber was in Biloxi for Friday's meeting of the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

Las Vegas-based Harrah's announced the $700 million project in 2007. Jimmy Buffett, a Pascagoula, Miss., native known for his lazy-day beach songs such as "Margaritaville" and "Cheeseburger in Paradise," was one of the resort's backers.

The project was put on hold in 2008.