Developers say Tullis Gardens Hotel can’t be built without a casino, and that won’t happen if new tidelands legislation passes in Mississippi.

When originally proposed in November 2022, a casino wasn’t part of the development at 360 Beach Boulevard in East Biloxi. A casino was just announced in a March 15 press release emailed to media on behalf of the developers.

The original design of $140 million resort was for 200 rooms, which is 100 short of the minimum required for a casino on the Coast. To appeal to locals, the resort would have a replica of Tullis Manor that was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina when the Grand Casino barge broke away and landed on top of the hotel.