Jackson City Council Tables Pearl River Land Deal Eyed for Casino Resort
Jackson's City Council put off a decision this week on a land deal that could put a casino resort on the Pearl River. Council members tabled a resolution on October 6, 2026 to sell a surplus, city-owned parcel near the river and Interstate 55, with elected officials split over whether the site should go toward a casino-anchored resort or a city-led development plan.
Mayor John Horhn, who is handling negotiations on the city's behalf, confirmed that multiple outside buyers have already submitted purchase offers for the property.
Councilman Ashby Foote pushed for the city to open talks with the Mississippi Gaming Commission about a casino project on the site, arguing it could unlock a higher return than a conventional sale.
Councilwoman Tina Clay took the opposite view, arguing that city staff, not an outside developer, should lead the planning for the parcel to keep more control over how it is eventually used. Jackson tabled the resolution on October 6, leaving the land's zoning and ownership unresolved for now.
Casino Still Needs Sign-Off
Any casino at the site faces a real regulatory hurdle before it can move forward. Mississippi law has long restricted commercial casino gaming to the Gulf Coast counties and the Mississippi River and its northwestern tributaries, which is why Jackson, sitting on the Pearl River in Hinds County, falls outside the areas where casinos are currently permitted.
Opening the door to a Jackson casino would require the state legislature to amend the Mississippi Gaming Control Act, something lawmakers have previously declined to do when earlier riverboat gaming bills for the Pearl River were introduced.
For now, the city's own vote on what to do with the land comes first: the council has not set a new date to revisit the surplus-property resolution, and multiple purchase offers remain on the table while officials decide whether gaming, mixed-use development, or municipal planning best serves the site.
The seven-member council has given no indication of when it will bring the resolution back up for a vote, leaving the parcel's future genuinely open for now. Jackson's debate plays out against the backdrop of a wider Mississippi gambling market, where the state's licensed casinos and sportskbooks along the coast already generate meaningful tax revenue for the state.
Mayor Tried This Fight Once Before
This is not the first time Horhn has pushed on this door. Before becoming Jackson's mayor, Horhn represented the city in the Mississippi Senate and sponsored legislation that would have allowed riverboat-style casino gaming on the Pearl River within Jackson city limits.
The bill did not become law, and Jackson, which opted out of the state's original 1990s casino legislation, has stayed outside Mississippi's roughly 30-casino industry ever since.
That history is part of why any fresh casino push tied to this land deal would still need state lawmakers to act, not just the city council.
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